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A Massachusetts judge has dismissed claims that Harvard University was partly liable for the actions of a former employee of the institution’s medical school who stole and sold human remains, CNN reported Tuesday.
Harvard fired Cedric Lodge, manager of the medical school’s morgue, in May 2023. In June, Lodge and his wife, Denise Lodge, were indicted on federal charges that included conspiracy and interstate transport of stolen goods. Soon after, the families of the people whose cadavers Lodge allegedly dismembered and sold filed a lawsuit against Harvard claiming the university did not ensure proper care of their relatives’ donated remains.
Judge Kenneth Salinger ruled Monday that there was inadequate evidence that Harvard “failed to act in good faith” and dismissed the civil case. Salinger also dismissed a suit against Mark Cicchetti and Tracey Fay, employees of Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Program.
“Though the appalling things that Lodge allegedly did are not protected by this immunity statute, the allegations in the complaints make clear that Harvard, Cicchetti, and Fay are not vicariously liable for Lodge’s actions,” Salinger’s ruling said.
The families of the people who donated their bodies plan to appeal the decision, according to Kathryn Barnett, an attorney representing several of the relatives.
