In re Harvard Morgue Cases: $53 Million Settlement

The settlement has two classes based on when the donor’s remains left the Harvard Morgue for final disposition. Your relationship to the donor also matters.

• The Primary Settlement Class covers donors whose Removal Receipt Date was from January 1, 2018, through March 31, 2023.
• The Pre-2018 Settlement Class covers donors whose Removal Receipt Date was from January 1, 2003, through December 31, 2017.
• A Removal Receipt Date is the date the donor’s body left the Harvard Morgue to be cremated or buried.
• Grandchildren are included only for a donor in the Primary Settlement Class.

You must fit one of the listed relationship or notice categories and meet the date requirement for one of the two classes. Certain people and entities are excluded, including the defendants, people or entities released by the settlement, Cedric Lodge, Denise Lodge, judges who worked on the case, and those judges’ immediate family members.

• A spouse or registered domestic partner, child, parent, or sibling of a donor.
• A person the donor named as a designee in the Instrument of Anatomical Gift.
• A person to whom Harvard addressed correspondence about the actions on or about June 14, 2023 and/or December 7, 2023.
• A grandchild, but only if the donor qualifies for the Primary Settlement Class.
• A named plaintiff in one of the consolidated actions.

A claim is required to seek a cash payment, including if you also object to the settlement. The notice requires a completed, signed form, but it does not say whether you must send supporting documents for your relationship to the donor or any other claim information.

• Complete and sign a Claim Form.
• Send it by mail or submit it through the settlement website’s portal.
• Submit it by December 9, 2026.

The money for each class is handled separately. Each class’s net fund will first be divided equally among donors connected with timely, valid claims. The donor-level amount is then divided among the people with timely, valid claims connected to that donor based on their relationship to the donor. The notice refers readers to the Plan of Allocation for the detailed rules and examples.

• The Primary Settlement Class fund is $52.5 million.
• The Pre-2018 Settlement Class fund is $500,000.
• Fees, expenses, and settlement-administration expenses may be deducted before money is allocated and distributed.
• There is no fixed payment amount in this notice.

The notice gives an expected timeframe, not a promised payment date. Court approval and the settlement becoming effective must happen first.

• If the court approves the settlement and there are no delays, payments are expected within 60 days after the settlement becomes effective.
• The hearing is scheduled for December 9, 2026, but the court might not approve the settlement that day.
• The notice says payment can be delayed for other reasons as well.

The notice does not list an option to exclude yourself from the settlement. It says that doing nothing means no payment, but the settlement can still affect your right to sue over the issues involved if it receives final approval.

• You will not receive a payment.
• You will still be bound by the settlement, including the release of certain claims against the settling defendants.

Objecting is how a class member can tell the court why they disagree with the proposed settlement. Objecting does not request a cash payment; you must still submit a claim form if you want payment.

• Your written objection must be received by the court or postmarked by November 16, 2026.
• You must file it with the court and send copies to Class Counsel.
• The notice lists required information, including your contact information, the associated donor’s name, your signature, specific reasons for objecting, and any supporting documents for the objection.

The notice also lists non-cash commitments by Harvard. It does not give a date, access process, or other participation details for the webinar, and it does not state whether a claim form is required for it.

• A live webinar statement for claimant families from the Dean for Medical Education of Harvard Medical School.
• A statement summarizing changes to Harvard Anatomical Gift Program oversight, security, policies, and training.
• An AGP Donors Scholarship to help a medical student with medical-school costs.