The mess of lawsuits filed in the wake of the Harvard Medical School body-parts trafficking scandal could become less complicated if a motion to consolidate the cases filed in a state court succeeds.

The motion seeks to combine eight lawsuits filed in Suffolk Superior Court targeting Harvard for culpability, arguing that the “cases arising out of the desecration and mishandling of remains entrusted to Harvard’s Anatomical Gift Program … all involve common questions of law and fact.

“Consolidation will avoid unnecessary duplication and waste of judicial resources, will streamline and simplify the proceedings, will prevent undue delay of the case, will provide parties with greater efficiency and will assist in securing the ‘just, speedy and expensive’ determination of the issues in this case,” the motion continues.

It also designates two attorneys, Jeffrey Catalano and Kathryn Barnett, as co-lead counsel in the proposed merger of the lawsuits, with other attorneys who had filed lawsuits serving as liaison or members of the plaintiffs’ steering committee.

Cedric Lodge (Courtesy / Suffolk Superior Court)

“These families have suffered an unthinkable betrayal by Harvard, and I’m honored that they have put their trust in Morgan & Morgan to fight for them and to seek justice for their loved ones,” Barnett, of the law firm Morgan & Morgan said following the filing.

“I’m grateful that so many esteemed law firms have entrusted me to help lead this litigation. We are all working together to fight for every case and are committed to holding Harvard accountable for their responsibility in this atrocity,” she continued.

Harvard has repeatedly stated that it does not comment on ongoing litigation.

Catalano, along with attorney Jonathan Sweet of the Milton-based Keches Law Group, P.C., were the first to file a lawsuit, in which they estimated that the parts of up to 400 bodies could be involved. Barnett’s lawsuit appears to have been the fourth, all of which were seeking class-action status, filed in the fallout of the alleged body-parts trafficking ring.

In June, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that several people purported to be connected to a ring trafficking body parts stolen from the morgue associated with the Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Program had been indicted.

Those defendants include Cedric Lodge — a morgue employee who according to one of the lawsuits drives a car with a plate reading “GRIM-R,” for “Grim Reaper” — of Goffstown, N.H., and four others, including his wife, Denise Lodge.

Jeremy Lee Pauley

One of the defendants, a Pennsylvania man named Jeremy Lee Pauley, whose website describes him as “the lead preservation specialist of retired medical specimens and curator to historic remains and artifacts” for his museum, Memento Mori, has already pleaded out and admitted to the factual allegations of the ring.

The story has captivated readers, and left many family members of those who donated their body to science horrified. As Jack Porter, whose wife Dr. Raya Porter had willed her body to the program and whose body Porter suspects of being sold piecemeal, told the Herald, “What bothers me is that there’s somebody in some basement somewhere in this country or elsewhere fondling my wife’s body parts.”

Jack Porter holds his wedding photo featuring his late wife, Dr. Raya Porter, whose organs may have been sold in the Harvard medical scandal. (Paul Connors/Boston Herald)

DOVER — Rain poured down the entire game, but the slickest part of the Dover-Sherborn field hockey team’s nonleague matchup with Masconomet on Saturday was its fast start in a signature 4-1 win.

Consistent offensive pressure allotted the Raiders (11-2-2) seven corners in the first half, who then used two of them to help score three goals in a mostly dominant effort before the break. None came quicker than freshman Annie Liebhoff’s goal just 2:27 into the match.

Masconomet’s speed and goaltender Sam Serio (10 saves) played a major factor in keeping the game within reach, but four different players found the back of the goal for Dover-Sherborn.

“I’m really thrilled with the way we came out strong, right from the opening whistle,” said Raiders head coach Molly McGill. “I love playing in the rain … I just feel like it’s the great equalizer. Everyone’s dealing with the same elements, and it adds a kind of fun, dramatic element to it.”

An early corner led to a Serio save, but Liebhoff gathered a clear attempt on the other side of the circle before firing in a 1-0 lead on a strong flick. Dover-Sherborn’s forward line did an excellent job pushing the ball upfield and the midfield plugged clearing lanes to keep it there – leading to another goal just seven minutes later.

Drew Hussar (goal, assist) fired a rocket at the far post, which Avery Bent tipped in for a 2-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game.

“I always tell them, ‘Help yourselves out, score early,’ ” McGill said. “Every game, right before the start, I just say, ‘Let’s just start early. Score a goal early, set the tone, kind of put them on their heels.’ It doesn’t always happen, but today it did.”

As Serio withstood a few more quality shots, Masconomet shook some of its flat energy with a burst of speed up the middle that Nora Duval used to get a breakaway. D-S goalie Kylie Craig (four saves) stopped her shot and two rebound attempts right after, but Cait Driscoll finally finished off the threat for the 2-1 deficit.

The Chieftains looked more comfortable from there, but the Raiders didn’t stop coming.

Fluid passing downfield 10 minutes into the second quarter drew another corner for Dover-Sherborn, which led to a Finley Whitlock tip-in for the 3-1 lead before the break.

“Corners have been a strength for us this year,” McGill said.

In the second half, the only goal was a Hussar stroke with 10:33 left.

There’s much to be said about the offensive tenacity the Raiders showed. But holding off Masconomet and its blazing speed stood out more.

“Going in, we were focused on defense – marking up all over the field, pressuring the field, all that good stuff,” McGill said. “I think they did find that success in sending the big ball upfield and catching us a little bit on our heels. But thankfully it happened only the one time. That was our game plan, playing good defense (and) pressuring them in their defensive zone.”

Each Patriots Day, thousands of spectators from near and far flock to Lexington and Concord for a parade and reenactment of the “shot heard ’round the world,” that took place on the cold morning of April 19, 1775.

The 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord — the first armed conflict of the American Revolution — is anticipated to draw much larger crowds, and officials from both towns say they need state support to ensure a safe and memorable celebration.

State lawmakers are considering a bill that looks to create a special fund to help Lexington and Concord cover security protections and operational expenses for anniversary celebrations in 2025 and 2026 — the semiquincentennial of the battle and America’s birthday.

Henry Dane, chairman of the Concord Select Board, is helping organize the 250th anniversary of the battle in town. He anticipates the celebration to be similar to major remembrances held in the past, but the number of attendees and costs to be “substantially greater because of higher expectations.”

The professional management needed to ensure the event lives up to those expectations, Dane said, is “well beyond the resources of any town of some 16,000 residents, no matter how, apparently, affluent it is.”

The organizing committee, Concord250, has prepared a detailed budget which indicates the cost to soar over $2 million, Dane said. It has raised less than half of that so far from local resources, he said.

“At present, we have no other recourse than to ask the Legislature to make a significant contribution so that we can pay due respect to those who gave their lives and limbs so that we may live together as free men and women,” he told the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development last week.

State Reps. Michelle Ciccolo and Simon Cataldo, from Lexington and Concord, filed the bill jointly, asking for creation of a special fund that doesn’t expire until after 2026 since preparations for the events will take longer than a year, and security operations recurring over several years.

If the bill is approved, Ciccolo said, it would pave the way for “very major fundraising from potentially foundations and corporations,” and money raised would go into the state fund.

A coalition of organizers from Arlington, Lexington, Concord and Lincoln has been meeting regularly to work out the logistics and prepare, Ciccolo said. For the bicentennial in 1975, streets closed down and shuttles were used to get from place to place, she recalled.

“This is something that small towns are not necessarily used to doing on a regular basis,” she said.

Reenactments and parades are planned for 2025 and 2026, but the anniversaries are also expected to include lectures, exhibitions, concerts and other family friendly events, said Doug Lucente, a member of the Lexington Select Board.

“We expand the scope of activities in Lexington and integrate the vision of Concord partners, the financial calculus becomes glaringly obvious,” he said. “Adequate funding is crucial.”

The anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord draw huge crowds each year. But a much larger turnout is expected for the 250th, and officials are looking for state support. (Herald file photo)
The anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord draw huge crowds each year. But a much larger turnout is expected for the 250th, and officials are looking for state support. (Herald file photo)
The anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord draw huge crowds each year. But a much larger turnout is expected for the 250th, and officials are looking for state support. (Herald file photo)