Court Approves $750 Million Settlement for Survivors of Abuse by NY Gynecologist

Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian hospitals will pay $750 million to patients who sued over being sexually abused by a former gynecologist who was convicted of sex crimes in 2023.

The settlement was achieved on behalf of 576 former patients at the New York hospitals where Dr. Robert Hadden abused patients over two decades.

A New York Supreme Court approved the settlement on Monday. according to Anthony T. DiPietro, attorney for the women who brought claims.

“This victory is not just for the victims and survivors of Columbia University and The New York- Presbyterian Hospital’s cover-up who bravely came forward, but for all of us who entrust medical institutions with our healthcare,” said DiPietro.

The $750 million settlement brings the total relating to claims against Hadden to more than $1 billion. There have been earlier settlements of $200 million, $71.5 million and $165 million, Also in January 2024, Columbia University created a $100 million fund for survivors that is still receiving claims.

The claims were filed under the New York State Adult Survivors Act that extended the statute of limitations for civil for allegations that would have been time-barred.

Hadden was convicted of federal sexual assault charges in January 2023 and sentenced to 20 years in prison last July.

DiPietro said his firm is currently pursuing cases involving hundreds of men and boys who were allegedly exploited by a urologist, Darius Paduch, who also practiced at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the Weill Cornell Medical Center, and in the Northwell Health System. Paduch was convicted last March of unlawful sexual activity and sentenced to life in prison in November.

Topics New York