Body parts from research ended up on the black market – Harvard faces lawsuits from bereaved families

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that the families of body donors to Harvard Medical School may sue the university for mishandling the remains of their loved ones. The ruling overturns an earlier decision by a lower court that had acquitted Harvard on the grounds of legal immunity in the processing of anatomical donations.

The court stated that the university had failed to fulfill its legal obligation to treat the donated bodies with dignity and dispose of them properly. Judge Scott Kafker found that “Harvard failed miserably” and that its conduct could not be considered to have been in good faith.

The case concerns the former head of the Harvard morgue, Cedric Lodge, who has confessed to stealing body parts—including heads, organs, and skin—over a period of years and selling them on the black market. Together with his wife, he transported them from the university morgue to their home in New Hampshire.

A total of 47 relatives of deceased individuals filed twelve lawsuits, accusing the university of negligence and inadequate supervision.

(reuters, max)