Robert A. Hadden, the former Columbia University gynecologist who was sentenced last July to 20 years in prison for abusing dozens of his patients over decades, faces a new class-action lawsuit from women who claim to have been victims of his abuse.
The lawsuit, filed this week in the New York State Supreme Court by attorney Anthony T. DiPietro, includes the cases of 301 women who say they suffered physical and emotional abuse while under his care.
The lawsuit, which describes Hadden as “the largest sexual predator in the history of the state of New York,” accuses Columbia University Medical Center of covering up for the former gynecologist for many years.
“Robert Hadden is a serial predator who used his position at Columbia University Medical Center to sexually exploit and abuse women,” the victims’ attorney said.
“Hadden was protected by Columbia, which, despite being warned by patients, did nothing but cover up Hadden’s abuse and lie to the public, and at times worked to discredit survivors while interfering with Hadden’s criminal prosecution. “I believe this is one of the largest corporate cover-ups in the history of the state of New York,” DiPietro said.
Hadden, “white coat predator”
Hadden was arrested on June 29, 2012 after licking a patient, who immediately called 911, but officials at Columbia and New York-Presbyterian Hospital allowed him to return to work almost immediately. Following his return on July 3, 2012, Hadden assaulted at least eight more women at various university medical clinics.
Shortly after, six more women came forward with similar allegations, and two years later, in 2014, he was charged with five counts of criminal sexual acts, two counts of forcible touching, and two counts of sexual abuse.
In January of that year, Evelyn Yang told CNN that Hadden abused her in 2012 when she was seven months pregnant with their first child. At first, she didn’t dare tell her husband.
Faced with numerous and frequent complaints from Hadden’s victims, the FBI became involved and led an investigation. Prosecutors called him a “white coat predator” and accused him of abusing his patients between the early 1990s and 2012.
In July 2023, Hadden, 65, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexual abuse. He lost his medical license.
In announcing the sentence, Judge Richard Berman said he had “never seen anything as horrific, unimaginable or depraved” as this case.
Once he serves his sentence, Hadden will be on probation for the rest of his life, a court spokesman announced.
More Hadden victims can report him until November of this year
According to a ProPublica investigation, the women “repeatedly tried to warn doctors and Columbia staff about Hadden.” Hospital officials had been aware of Hadden’s behavior since the mid-1990s.
The DiPietro Law Firm, victims’ advocates and faculty are now calling on Columbia President Minouche Shafik to inform all of Hadden’s former patients about his criminal conviction and loss of his medical license.
“It is time for President Shafik and Columbia to notify all patients that the University exposed Robert Hadden, so that all victims have the opportunity to seek justice before the Adult Survivors Act deadline closes this month. November,” DiPietro said.
“We believe Columbia is avoiding notifying former patients in an effort to try to run the clock, and avoid accountability,” DiPietro said. “For the past 11 years, my office has been doing everything we can to expose the Columbia cover-up, not let them get away with it, and make sure this never happens to anyone again.”
A spokesperson for Columbia University quoted by CNN said the institution “deeply regrets the pain” suffered by Hadden’s patients, adding that it regrets leaving him in his position after he was arrested in 2012.
With information from AP and AFP.
2023-10-05 15:32:00
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