Sicko doc will cost Columbia & hosp $71 mil
Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital will pay a whopping $71 million to resolve claims from dozens of women who say they were abused by a perverted gynecologist.
The hefty payout will be split among 79 women who were patients of Dr. Robert Hadden, a former gynecologist at Columbia and New York-Presbyterian accused of performing sexually invasive and unnecessary procedures on women and girls for three decades.
Renee, who says she was pregnant and 41 years old in 2004 when Hadden abused her, said the settlement was just one step toward holding Hadden — and the institutions he worked for — accountable.
“I think it’s a good thing that there was a settlement, but in the long run there needs to be some repercussion for the doctor, too. I have mixed emotions, let’s put it that way,” said Renee. “There needs to be justice.”
A lawyer for the women hailed the settlement.
“At his core, Hadden was an evil man who preyed upon his patients, many of whom entrusted him with their health care and that of their unborn children,” Adam Slater added.
Hadden relinquished his medical license in 2016 after he pleaded guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court to criminal sex act in the third degree and forcible touching. Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.’s office negotiated a plea deal with Hadden that did not include any jail time, outraging Hadden’s accusers.
Last year, Manhattan federal prosecutors filed a new case against Hadden, alleging he sexually abused dozens of patients, some of whom were minors, between 1993 and 2012. Prosecutors described the doctor as “a predator in a white coat.”
“Every patient deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and to be safe and secure. We are deeply sorry that Hadden violated these fundamental obligations,” said Donna Lynne, the senior vice president of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center.
“Our goal has been to make sure that what Hadden did can never happen again.”
Hadden is accused in his new criminal case of abusing one young victim who he had delivered at birth. He is also accused of inappropriately touching, squeezing and even licking some of his patients during exams. Hadden has pleaded not guilty to six counts of enticing individuals to travel across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity, each of which carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
The multimillion-dollar civil settlement was negotiated by between lawyers for the accusers and lawyers representing Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian. The deal does not resolve all legal claims against Hadden and the uptown institutions.
“Despite the fact that medical chaperones, nurses, supervisors, administrators, doctors and other hospital personnel were aware of the sexual exploitation and abuse being perpetrated by Robert Hadden, dating back to at least the 1990s, [Columbia and New York-Presbyterian] and their medical facilities, offices, clinics, and their agents, servants, and/or employees, actively and deliberately — and inexplicably — concealed Robert Hadden’s sexual abuse for decades,” said a class action lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court against Hadden and the hospitals last year.
That suit is still pending. Two prominent Hadden accusers, Marissa Hoechstetter and Evelyn Yang, said in a statement they were not part of the settlement and that they intended to continue pursuing legal action to “expose the institutional coverup” of Hadden’s alleged abuse.
Hadden’s defense attorney declined to comment.
His civil lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.