Harvard University has agreed to a $53 million class action settlement over the theft and sale of human remains donated to Harvard Medical School, extending a case that has already led to criminal convictions and heightened scrutiny of safeguards around anatomical gift programs. Former morgue manager Cedric Lodge was criminally charged in the scheme and pleaded guilty, while families alleged that loved ones who had been donated for medical education and science were instead desecrated and trafficked for profit. Keches Law attorneys Jonathan Sweet, Jeffrey Catalano and Leo Boyle said they played leading roles in the litigation, including arguments before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that produced a precedent-setting ruling on the duties owed by institutions entrusted with donated human remains. Earlier reporting said a Suffolk Superior Court judge had preliminarily approved the settlement, with final approval expected in December. Harvard has previously said it was unaware of the activity, which prosecutors said began in 2018, and estimated that 438 donors left the morgue between 2018 and 2023. The case has become a broader test of institutional accountability, dignity for donors and trust in anatomical gift programs.