(CNN) — Lawyers for 301 patients who accused a Columbia University doctor of sexual abuse during examinations say the former gynecologist – whose allegations of abuse were widely reported by CNN – is the most “prolific” serial sexual predator in the history of the New York State.
Additional patients of Dr. Robert Hadden sued Columbia University, alleging that the institution was involved in a “30-year cover-up of the most prolific serial sexual predator in the history of the state of New York,” according to the civil suit. filed before the state Supreme Court this Tuesday.
This is in addition to the more than 200 patients who had already accused Hadden of sexual abuse, according to attorney DiPietro and previous CNN reports.
“I have heard from hundreds of survivors who are now learning that they are not alone in the abuse they suffered while under the care of Columbia University,” DiPietro said in a statement. “Patients should not find out about this through the media. This information should come directly from Columbia, which has access to patient information.”
A Columbia University spokesperson said the institution “deeply regrets the pain” the doctor’s patients suffered, and that it “regrets” that Hadden cared for patients for several weeks after his arrest in 2012, the statement said. .
Hadden’s attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The sentence against Hadden
Last July, Hadden was sentenced to 20 years in prison, after he was found guilty of federal sexual abuse charges earlier this year.
Hadden was convicted of four counts of enticing and inducing people to travel interstate to engage in illegal sexual activity, each of which carried a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said. York previously.
The 20-year sentence Hadden received in July will be served concurrently on each of the four counts, the judge determined. Hadden was also fined $10,000 and supervised release for life after he serves his sentence.
“I just want to say that I am very sorry for all the pain that I have caused,” Hadden said before the sentence was handed down in federal court in Manhattan. The former gynecologist asked that the brevity of his words not be confused with a lack of sincerity, noting that his attorney had advised her to speak briefly in light of future efforts to appeal his case.
Hadden then sat at the defense table, holding his head in his hands. He took off his glasses to dry his eyes.
The allegations against Hadden became public after an exclusive interview by CNN’s Dana Bash with Evelyn Yang, wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, and a series of reports from CNN’s investigative unit.
Following that report, dozens of women came forward saying they, too, had been assaulted by Hadden.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams called Hadden at sentencing a “predator in a white coat.”
“For years, he callously lured women seeking professional medical care for gratification into his offices,” Williams said in a statement. “Hadden’s victims trusted him as a doctor, only to become victims of his heinous predilection.”
2023-10-04 00:29:00
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