According to the BBC, Harvard has agreed to pay $53 million to resolve lawsuits brought by families who said the university mishandled the bodies of relatives donated to its medical school. The proposed settlement, filed in a Boston court on Monday, would end claims against Harvard Medical School after former morgue manager Cedric Lodge pleaded guilty to stealing and selling human remains on the black market.

Harvard said in a letter shared on Monday that multi-million dollar settlement funds will be established for families once the court approves the agreement. The school also said it will create an annual financial-aid scholarship for medical students starting in the 2027-2028 academic year. Lodge, 58, was sentenced in December to eight years in prison, while his wife received a sentence of one year and a day.