Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty Images
Legal damages for accusations of sexual misconduct by a former UCLA gynecologist increased this Tuesday, with the lawyers of 312 former patients who advertised a settlement for $374 million dollars in abuse lawsuits against the University of California (UC).
The settlement of cases against former gynecologist James Heaps adds up to a resolution of $243.6 million dollars of lawsuits involving others 200 patients announced in February, plus a settlement of $80 million dollars of federal lawsuits that were reached last year and that involved about 5,500 plaintiffs.
The latest $374.4 million in settlement covers 312 former patients who sued alleging they were abused by Dr. James Heaps under the guise of medical examinations between 1983 and 2018 .https://t.co/teR1I30RQN— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) May 24, 2022
Related: University of California will pay $312.3 million dollars for complaints against former UCLA gynecologist for sexual misconduct
Heaps was a UCLA-affiliated gynecologist and oncologist for nearly 30 years. On several occasions, he saw patients at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and in his office at 100 Medical Plaza.
At one point, Heaps was reportedly the best doctor paid in the UC system and had offered consultations to about 6,05 patients, according to the lawyers.
More than
lawsuits against Heaps and UCLA, and accused the school of failing to protect patients after realizing account of the misconduct.
They accuse UCLA of allowing Heaps to continue with consultations
The lawsuits alleged that UCLA actively and willfully concealed sexual abuse of patients by Heaps.
UCLA continued to allow Heaps unrestricted sexual access to female patients, many of whom were cancer patients, at the university, attorneys for the plaintiffs alleged.
“This settlement, combined with prior settlements involving other plaintiffs, resolves the vast majority of claims alleging sexual misconduct by James Heaps, a former UCLA Health physician. The conduct allegedly committed by Heaps is reprehensible,” UCLA said in a statement Tuesday.
UC hopes settlement provides relief to victims
The University of California at Los Angeles expressed gratitude to all those who came forward, and hoped that this settlement would be a step towards providing some level of healing for the plaintiffs involved .
Heaps faces 21 sexual abuse felony charges in state court in a criminal case in which he is accused of sexually assaulting 7 women. He faces more than 21 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
The settlement of the federal case last year required that UCLA will ensure stricter oversight procedures for the identification, prevention and reporting of sexual misconduct.
Federal lawsuits allege that while patients complained about Heaps years earlier, it was not until late 2017 that the allegations of sexual misconduct by the gynecologist were reported to the UCLA Title IX office and a formal investigation was opened.
Heaps was allowed to continue seeing patients, both during the investigation such as after UCLA informed Heaps that his contract would not be renewed when it expired on 30 June 2018.
UCLA put termination of Heaps’ employment and notified the police of the allegations against him on 14 June 2018.
In June 2019, Heaps was arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault. After his arrest, many more women reported alleged sexual misconduct. In August of 2020, the former gynecologist was charged with additional felonies.
In March of 2021, in a similar case, the USC agreed to pay more than $1,35 million dollars to former patients of former campus gynecologist George Tyndall, the largest payment for sexual abuse in the history of higher education.
Tyndall, the only full-time gynecologist at the student health clinic since 1989 through 2016, has pleaded not guilty to dozens of counts of sexual assault.
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