Harvard morgue body donor families settlement
MacTaggart v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (In re Harvard Morgue Cases)
Also known as Harvard Medical School; Harvard Anatomical Gift Program; MacTaggart v. Harvard; Harvard body donation
The lawsuit claimed Harvard failed to safeguard donated bodies, letting others remove and sell remains.
Copied from the official notice. Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- You could get
- A share of the fund $53 million fund, split among everyone who files.
Source
“Share of $53 million”
From the administrator site: Official notice of class action settlement (PDF on official site's document host). Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- You need
- Papers needed Needs the code from your notice LoginID and PIN from your email notice (to file online); without them, email the settlement office with your name and address Takes work: describes the claim form only
Source
“To start your online claim form, you must login with your LoginID and PIN. If you received a notice of this Settlement, your LoginID and PIN is on the top left-hand side of the email notice If you are unable to locate your LoginID and PIN, you can contact the Settlement Administrator by emailing info@HarvardMorgueSettlement.com to request your LoginID and PIN by providing your full name and mailing address.”
From the administrator site: Official online claim form login page. Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- Who can file
- Relatives or designees of Harvard body donors, 2003-2023
Source
“the spouse or registered domestic partner, child, parent, or sibling of a person who donated their body to the Harvard Anatomical Gift Program; ... the person named by the Donor in the Instrument of Anatomical Gift as the Donor’s designee; ... you are a grandchild of a Donor whose body left the Harvard Morgue and was sent for cremation or burial on or between January 1, 2018, and March 31, 2023; ... You are not included if you are one of the Defendants; one of the people or entities released by the Settlement; Cedric Lodge; Denise Lodge; the judges who have worked on this case; or a member of those judges’ immediate families. ... a person to whom Harvard addressed correspondence regarding the subject matter of the Actions on or about June 14, 2023, and/or on or about December 7, 2023; ... a named Plaintiff in one of the consolidated actions in this matter. ... Pre-2018 Settlement Class: Class members with claims relating to Donors whose Removal Receipt Date (the date the Donor’s body left the Harvard Morgue and was sent for cremation of burial) is on or between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2017”
From the administrator site: Official notice of class action settlement (PDF on official site's document host). Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S.
Source
“Membership in the Settlement Classes depends on (1) your relationship to a Donor to the Harvard Anatomical Gift Program and (2) when the Donor's remains left the Harvard Morgue for final disposition.”
From the administrator site: Official settlement website FAQ page. Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
- Time to file
- About 20 minutes
Source
Our estimate of how long the official claim form takes. The notice does not say.
From the official site: harvardmorguesettlement.com. Last compared Nov 7, 2026.
Free. The official site never charges.
Quick answers
How much is the Harvard morgue body donor families settlement payout?
A share of the fund. $53 million fund, split among everyone who files.
Where is the Harvard morgue body donor families settlement claim form?
On the official site, harvardmorguesettlement.com. Filing is free. The last day to file is Dec 9, 2026.
When will the Harvard morgue body donor families settlement pay?
Payment can only happen after the court gives final approval and any appeals are over.
The final approval hearing is set for Dec 9, 2026.
Is the Harvard morgue body donor families settlement legit?
The settlement administrator (the company that handles claims) is Simpluris, and the official site is harvardmorguesettlement.com. Real notices point there; if a link in a message goes anywhere else, do not use it.
The official site never asks you to pay to file.
Compare yourself to the official class definition
You may be included if you are a Harvard donor’s spouse, registered domestic partner, child, parent, sibling, designee or a named plaintiff.
It covers bodies leaving the Morgue 2003–Mar 31, 2023 (grandchildren: 2018 on) and people Harvard wrote to about it near 6/14 or 12/7/2023.
You are not included if you are a defendant, released by the deal, Cedric or Denise Lodge, or a judge on the case or their immediate family.
Check each condition yourself. The boxes are only for you; nothing is sent or stored.
Membership in the Settlement Classes depends on (1) your relationship to a Donor to the Harvard Anatomical Gift Program and (2) when the Donor's remains left the Harvard Morgue for final disposition.
From the administrator site: Official settlement website FAQ page
This checklist is for guidance only and can be wrong. Only the court's definition decides. Read the official wording before you file.
How to file
-
Find the code from your notice
- LoginID and PIN from your email notice (to file online); without them, email the settlement office with your name and address
-
Gather what you need
You will need supporting documents.
- The donor's name
- Proof of your identity, such as a copy of a government-issued ID
- Proof of your relationship to the donor, such as a birth or death certificate, a will or an obituary
-
File online, or by mail
At harvardmorguesettlement.com, by Dec 9, 2026. Filing is free.
Or mail a paper claim form to:Harvard Morgue Settlement, c/o Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 25191, Santa Ana, CA 92799
The deadline note says: “Online by December 9, 2026 (filing online needs the LoginID and PIN from your email notice), or by mail with a postmark date no later than December 9, 2026.” -
Save your confirmation
Keep your confirmation number or email. You do not need to file again.
Confirm with the administrator before you act.
After you file
Payment can only happen after the court gives final approval and any appeals are over.
The final approval hearing is set for Dec 9, 2026.
For context: First payments were issued 52 to 875 days after final approval, based on 15 settlements. Half were paid within 119 days. 1 of the 15 waited on appeals after approval.
Also ending this week
Related settlements
Case details
- Case
- MacTaggart v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (In re Harvard Morgue Cases)
- Court
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Suffolk County Superior Court, Business Litigation Session
- Case number
- 2384CV01389-BLS2
- Administrator
- Simpluris
- Official site
- harvardmorguesettlement.com
- Settlement fund
- $53 million: $52.5 million for the Primary Settlement Class and $500,000 for the Pre-2018 Settlement Class
- Full payout terms
- Share of $53 million, split per donor and relationshipPro rata share. Each net fund ($52.5 million for donors whose bodies left the morgue January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023; $500,000 for January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2017) is divided equally by the number of donors with valid claims, then split among that donor's claimants by relationship.
- Effort
- Hard, about 20 minutes
Other dates
- Objection deadline
- (ahead) source document
- Final approval hearing
- (ahead) source document
The court’s exact words
Membership in the Settlement Classes depends on (1) your relationship to a Donor to the Harvard Anatomical Gift Program and (2) when the Donor's remains left the Harvard Morgue for final disposition.
Quoted from the official notice. Read the notice for the full definition.
Our notes: Per the notice, there are two classes, set by the date the donor's body left the Harvard Morgue for cremation or burial: the Primary Settlement Class (January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2023) and the Pre-2018 Settlement Class (January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2017). Included: the donor's spouse or registered domestic partner, child, parent or sibling; the designee named in the Instrument of Anatomical Gift; a person Harvard wrote to about the case on or about June 14, 2023 and/or December 7, 2023; a grandchild (Primary Settlement Class only); and named plaintiffs. Excluded: the defendants, released parties, Cedric Lodge, Denise Lodge, the judges on the case and their immediate families. Claims can be made only on behalf of living class members; a parent, guardian or other representative can file for a minor or incapacitated person. Read the notice for the full definition.
Sources and checks (5)
Every fact people act on was copied from the official source and compared with it. How we check
- Official notice of class action settlement (PDF on official site's document host) administrator site
- Official settlement website FAQ page administrator site
- Official settlement website home page administrator site
- Official online claim form login page administrator site
- Official claim form (PDF on official site's document host) administrator site
What changedLast change Oct 27, 2026
- Tightened who-may-be-included wording after a final independent read. source document
- Fact check fixes to the who-may-be-included lines: added people Harvard wrote to around June 14 or December 7, 2023, and named plaintiffs; said "registered domestic partner"; added people released by the settlement to the exclusions. source document
- Page created. Claims open until December 9, 2026. source document
Questions
I already filed. What now?
Keep your confirmation number or email. You do not need to file again. Payment can only happen after the court gives final approval; once it does, the payment status page shows what is known.