A Suffolk Superior Court judge has dismissed families' lawsuits against Boston-based Harvard Medical School related to its morgue scandal involving the theft of human remains from bodies donated for medical research, multiple media outlets reported.
The judge, Kenneth Salinger, said Feb. 12 that allegations from donors' families "do not plausibly suggest" that Harvard failed to act in good faith and do not indicate Harvard was responsible for the conduct of the morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, according to The Boston Globe. Mr. Salinger also said Harvard is protected by an immunity clause in Massachusetts' version of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.
In June, news of the morgue scandal broke when four individuals — including Mr. Lodge — were charged in the nationwide trafficking of human remains stolen from the medical school. According to the indictment, from 2018 through 2022, Mr. Lodge allegedly stole organs and cadaver parts that were donated for medical research and collaborated with his wife, Denise Lodge, to sell the human remains to buyers from their New Hampshire residence. Two individuals, Katrina Maclean and Joshua Taylor, are accused in the indictment of buying body parts from the Lodges.
Families affected by the scandal filed lawsuits against Harvard, according to WBZ-TV. Harvard also appointed a panel of three outside experts to evaluate its anatomical gift program and related policies and practices. Harvard announced late last year that the panel concluded its work and recommended procedural improvements.
Regarding Mr. Salinger's recent ruling, a Harvard spokesperson told Becker's: "Harvard University does not have a comment."
Lawyers for the families said they plan to appeal the judge's decision, according to NBC Boston.
Kathryn Barnett of Morgan & Morgan, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement shared with the Globe: "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. We will appeal this ruling and keep fighting for them to win justice."
The individuals charged in the morgue scandal are scheduled to stand trial starting in early August, according to the Globe.