Harvard University announced it will establish two class‑action settlement funds worth a combined $53 million in response to the medical school’s morgue scandal. The funds are intended to compensate families of donors who may have been affected by the illegal removal and sale of body parts.

Background of the crime

In December, former morgue manager Cedric Lodge and his wife, Denise Lodge of Goffstown, New New Hampshire, were sentenced after federal prosecutors proved they participated in a scheme that stole organs, brains, skin, hands, faces, dissected heads and other tissues from donated cadavers between 2018 and March 2020. The remains were taken without the knowledge of the medical school or the donors’ families and were transported from Harvard’s Boston morgue to locations in Salem, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

Prosecutors say the stolen parts were sold to individuals including Joshua Taylor, Andrew Ensanian and Jeremy Pauley, who have already pleaded guilty in related cases.

Harvard’s response

In a letter to the public, Bernard S. Chang, dean for Medical Education at Harvard Medical School, said the university “reaffirms its deep sorrow and empathy for the families of donors who may have been impacted.” He added that the settlement funds will be used to notify and compensate any eligible claimants.

Harvard also announced plans to launch a new scholarship for medical students in honor of all anatomical donors, emphasizing the institution’s commitment to respecting the altruistic contributions of donors.

What this means for families

Potential claimants will be contacted by the university’s legal team with information on how to file a claim. The settlement represents one of the largest monetary responses to a medical‑education related misconduct case in recent years.

Original reporting: 40/29 / KHBS (NW Arkansas) — read the source article.