Harvard wins dismissal of families' lawsuits over morgue scandal
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[February 13, 2024]
By Nate Raymond
BOSTON (Reuters) -A Massachusetts judge on Monday dismissed lawsuits by
families accusing Harvard of mishandling the bodies of loved ones that
were donated to its medical school and whose parts were then sold on the
black market by the former manager of its morgue.
Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Salinger in Boston ruled the
12 lawsuits failed to plausibly allege Harvard Medical School (HMS)
failed to act in good faith in handling the bodies or was legally
responsible for ex-morgue manager Cedric Lodge's "horrifying" alleged
conduct.
Those lawsuits had accused Harvard of negligence and sought to hold it
responsible for Lodge's misconduct, which the families' lawyers said the
school had turned a blind eye to over its years-long span.
"It may not seem fair that Harvard can avoid responsibility and
liability in this case even if, as plaintiffs allege, it was negligent
in overseeing the HMS morgue and as a result let Lodge get away with
stealing body parts for years," Salinger wrote.
But the judge said Harvard enjoyed broad immunity from liability so long
as it attempted in good faith to comply with the state's Uniform
Anatomical Gift Act, which governs the donation of human bodies for
research and education.
He also dismissed claims against two employees who ran Harvard's
anatomical gift program, Mark Cicchetti and Tracey Fay. Kathryn Barnett,
a lawyer for the families at Morgan & Morgan, promised an appeal.
"These families have had to relive the trauma of losing their loved ones
many times over, and we strongly believe that they deserve a day in
court," she said in a statement.
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A general view of the Harvard Medical School in the Longwood Medical
Area in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Brian
Snyder/File Photo
Harvard did not respond to requests for comment.
The lawsuits were filed after federal prosecutors brought charges in
June against Lodge and five others accused of buying and selling
human remains stolen from Harvard Medical School and an Arkansas
mortuary.
Prosecutors said Lodge from 2018 through 2022 would at times let
potential buyers into the school's morgue to examine cadavers and
select what parts to buy. The buyers mostly resold the body parts,
prosecutors said.
They said Lodge also transported stolen remains to his home in New
Hampshire, where he and his wife sold them to others. They also
shipped stolen remains to people out of state, prosecutors said.
The Lodges pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and interstate transport
of stolen goods charges. They and two other defendants are slated to
face trial in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Aug.
5.
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Sonali Paul
andStephen Coates)
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