Bryan Lentz Co-Counsels $53 Million Class Action Settlement with Harvard Medical School

The parties have reached a $53 million class-action settlement in civil litigation involving donated remains at Harvard Medical School on behalf of grieving families. The settlement is subject to court approval, and a third-party administrator handles claims.

Bryan R. Lentz, partner at Bochetto & Lentz, served as co-counsel alongside Joseph Sauder of Sauder Schelkopf in spearheading civil litigation stemming from a profound breach of trust in academic medical history.

“We are pleased that the parties were able to work together to reach a meaningful resolution for these families,” said Joseph Sauder of Sauder Schelkopf and Bryan R. Lentz of Bochetto & Lentz. “We were honored to represent them, and we hope this settlement provides a measure of closure and helps the families move forward.”

The multi-million dollar settlement resolves consolidated civil claims alleging negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The complaint names as defendants the President and Fellows of Harvard College, the Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research at Harvard Medical School, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Cedric Lodge, the former manager of the Harvard Medical School morgue, pleaded guilty to removing and selling human remains from the morgue and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Key Terms of the Agreement

The settlement, which is subject to court approval, establishes monetary recovery handled by a third-party administrator alongside institutional reforms to preserve the integrity of future whole-body donations:

• $53 Million Recovery Fund: Pending final judicial approval, two class-action settlement funds totaling $53 million will be established for families whose loved ones’ remains were mishandled or potentially impacted under the Anatomical Gift Program between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2023. A third-party administrator will handle the claims process.

• Institutional Accountability & Live Statement: Harvard Medical School has agreed to address impacted claimant families directly via a live webinar, formally acknowledging that the acts were “morally reprehensible” and fundamentally inconsistent with their ethical standards.

• Creation of Donor Honor Scholarship: Beginning in the 2027–2028 academic year, Harvard Medical School will establish an annual financial aid scholarship for medical students dedicated specifically to honoring anatomical donors.

• Reform Mandate: Harvard Medical School has pledged full implementation of independent expert panel recommendations, enforcing stringent security, digital inventory tracking, and biometric access controls throughout its morgue operations.