Massachusetts Supreme Court Allows Lawsuits Against Harvard in Morgue Cadaver Theft Scandal

Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Harvard Medical School and its former Anatomical Gift Program director, Mark Cicchetti, can be sued for failing to supervise Cedric Lodge, a morgue manager who illicitly sold body parts from donated cadavers over several years. This decision overturns a lower court ruling that had granted Harvard immunity under the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act by claiming the school acted in good faith. The court criticized Harvard for its "extraordinary failure" to properly oversee the morgue, noting prior warnings from similar incidents at other institutions and Lodge's questionable behavior, such as his "Grim Reaper" license plate. Forty-seven families affected by the scandal have renewed their legal efforts to seek damages and access to internal records, challenging Harvard's purported negligence and lack of oversight. Lodge, who pleaded guilty to criminal charges, admitted to trafficking stolen body parts in a scheme dating back to 2018, highlighting systemic issues within Harvard's anatomical gift program. The ruling allows civil lawsuits to proceed against Harvard and Cicchetti, although one other employee named in the suits was dismissed due to lack of supervisory responsibility.