A $165 million settlement was struck between over 150 women who accused a former gynecologist of sexual abuse or misconduct and the hospital system where he worked, Columbia University reported on Friday.
According to a press announcement from the hospital, 147 women who were patients of Robert A. Hadden settled with Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
The funds will be utilized to create a fund for compensation given to the ladies.
The deal comes after the hospital system, and 79 women who were patients of Hadden reached a $71.5 million settlement in 2021.
Robert Hadden may be seen in this February 23, 2016, picture attending Manhattan Supreme Court in New York. Federal charges have been brought against Hadden. A former gynecologist in New York suspected of assaulting more than two dozen people. Its including children and the wife of former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. (AP Photo/Alec Tabak)
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The university’s medical center said, “We truly regret the suffering that Robert Hadden’s patients endured and hope that our resolutions may give some assistance to the women he affected.” “All those who spoke out deserve praise. We have implemented procedures to ensure kids are protected and empowered while in our care because we are devoted to their safety and dignity.
According to a press release, during the last ten years. The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at CUIMC has “updated current policies, introduced new ones, and increased resources to win and preserve patients’ confidence.”
“This is only the beginning,” a lawyer for more than 230 of Hadden’s victims, almost all of whom have been compensated in the two settlements, said CNN in a statement.
Hadden had hundreds of patients, and according to attorney Anthony T. DiPietro, “many aren’t even aware of how they were sexually abused.”
According to authorities, Hadden was arrested in 2020 on six charges of luring and coercing hundreds of people to visit his medical clinics in New York and abusing them sexually from 1993 to 2012. Five adults and a youngster were charged.
According to court records, Hadden pleaded not guilty in July 2021. A trial in this matter is set for 2023.
In 2016, Hadden entered a plea guilty to a third-degree criminal sex act and forceful touching. And he was forced to give up his medical license. The university claims that since August 2012, he hasn’t worked as a doctor.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said in 2020 that it was looking into further claims against Hadden. The office said on Friday night that the probe is still underway.
