BOSTON (Legal Newsline) — A son whose mother's remains were donated to Harvard Medical School is claiming the school's negligence over the alleged illegal mishandling and sale of body parts to third parties by the former morgue manager.
John Bozek, on behalf of himself and all others similarly situated, filed a complaint June 16 in Suffolk County Superior Court against the President & Fellows of Harvard College and Cedric Lodge alleging negligence and other claims. Lodge and four others have been indicted for the alleged crimes, which include selling "heads, brains, skin, bones, and other human remains, without the knowledge or permission of HMS."
According to Bozek's class action, prior to her death in February of 2019, his mother Adele Mazzone arranged to have her body donated to Harvard Medical School for the study of science and medicine. He claims that his mother's body was among the donated cadavers that were mishandled by the Harvard Medical School morgue.
The allegations say cadavers were dissected and sold to third parties by Lodge, the former morgue manager. Bozek claims Harvard owed a duty to the families who entrusted the bodies of their loved ones to Harvard for the goal of furthering academic and medical research and were negligent in the hiring, training and supervision of its morgue manager.
He also claims the defendants violated Massachusetts law with the desecration of a deceased body and that Harvard was required to return the remains to the family to be "decently buried or cremated."
Bozek and the class seek monetary relief, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Jeffrey Catalano and Jonathan Sweet of The Keches Law Group PC in Milton.