Harvard ruled as legally liable for theft of body parts from morgue

"The lawsuits allege that Harvard was negligent with its morgue security and disregarded guidance from the American Association of Anatomy. Kafker appeared to agree with the families, writing in his ruling that Harvard 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 ."

"According to Kafker s ruling, one conspirator purchased two dissected faces for $600 from Lodge. He also assisted the conspirator in finding human skin to provide to a third party in exchange for his services tanning other human skin into leather. Another conspirator made 39 payments totalling $37,000 over PayPal to Lodge and his wife for body parts, including a $1,000 transaction with the memo head number 7' and a $200 transaction w"

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled families can sue Harvard over donated bodies sold on the black market by the ex-morgue manager. The court reversed a lower-court decision and also held Mark F. Cicchetti legally liable. The scheme involved Cedric Lodge dissecting and stealing body parts intended for research and teaching between 2018 and 2023. Forty-seven family members filed 12 lawsuits alleging negligent morgue security and ignoring professional guidance. Harvard fired Lodge in 2023 and called his actions morally reprehensible. Stolen organs, including heads, brains, skin and bones, were transported across state lines, exposing the case to potential federal prosecution.

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