A Massachusetts court has ruled that Harvard University can be sued by families whose deceased relatives’ bodies were stolen and sold from its medical school morgue, in what judges described as a “macabre scheme spanning several years.”
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Monday overturned a lower court ruling that had shielded the prestigious institution from legal action, according to Al Jazeera.
The court also found that Mark F. Cicchetti, the managing director of Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Programme, could be held legally liable for negligence.
Chief Justice Scott L. Kafker, who delivered the judgment, said the case exposed “a macabre scheme spanning several years” in which former morgue manager Cedric Lodge dissected and sold human remains that had been donated to Harvard for medical education and research.
Harvard now faces 12 lawsuits filed by 47 family members of individuals whose remains were allegedly stolen and sold between 2018 and 2023.
The families accused the university of failing to provide adequate security at its morgue and of ignoring safety recommendations from the American Association of Anatomy.
In his ruling, Chief Justice Kafker agreed that Harvard bore a duty to protect the dignity of donated remains, writing that the university “had a legal obligation to provide for the dignified treatment and disposal of the donated human remains, and failed miserably in this regard, as Harvard itself recognised.”
Harvard Medical School terminated Lodge’s employment in 2023 and described his conduct as “morally reprehensible.”
Prosecutors said Lodge smuggled body parts, including heads, brains, skin, and bones, across state lines, selling them to various buyers and collaborators.
According to the court documents, one conspirator purchased two dissected faces for $600 from Lodge, while another sought human skin to be tanned into leather.
Another individual made 39 separate PayPal payments totalling $37,000 to Lodge and his wife, with memos such as “head number 7” and “braiiiiiins.”
Lodge pleaded guilty in May to one count of interstate transport of stolen human remains. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The ruling marks a major legal setback for Harvard, which had argued it could not be held responsible for the criminal actions of a rogue employee.
The families’ lawsuits will now proceed, potentially setting a precedent for how universities are held accountable for the mishandling of donated human bodies used in scientific research.