It's the largest payout related to sexual abuse involving a public university
The University of California (UC) has agreed to settle lawsuits brought by hundreds of alleged victims of a former University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gynecologist.
At nearly $700 million, it’s the largest payout ever related to sexual abuse involving a public university.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has approved the latest $374.4 million in settlements, which covers 312 former patients who alleged they were abused by Dr. James Heaps under the guise of medical examinations between 1983 and 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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That’s on top of a $243.6-million settlement of more than 200 women’s lawsuits and a $73-million class-action settlement involving more than 5,000 patients of Heaps dating to 1983. In 2019, the UC system also paid $2.25 million to settle a lawsuit by a patient who alleged she was sexually assaulted in 2018.
“The conduct alleged to have been committed by Heaps is reprehensible and contrary to the University’s values,” UCLA said in a statement announcing the settlement. “Our first and highest obligation will always be to the communities we serve, and we hope this settlement is one step toward providing healing and closure for the plaintiffs involved. We admire the plaintiffs’ courage in coming forward and appreciate plaintiffs’ counsel’s commitment to...
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