AP

Suit alleging UCLA doctor sex abuse settled for over $100M

Feb 7, 2022, 5:57 AM | Updated: 8:06 pm

FILE - In this June 26, 2019 file photo UCLA gynecologist James Heaps, center, and his wife, Debora...

FILE - In this June 26, 2019 file photo UCLA gynecologist James Heaps, center, and his wife, Deborah Heaps, arrive at Los Angeles Superior Court. The University of California has agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle allegations that several hundred women were sexually abused by Heaps. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)

(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes,File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The University of California has agreed to pay more than $100 million to settle allegations that several hundred women were sexually abused by a former UCLA gynecologist, lawyers announced.

The settlement was announced Monday by some of the attorneys representing 203 women who said they were groped or otherwise abused by Dr. James Heaps over a 35-year career. Details weren’t released.

The suit said that the university ignored decades of complaints and deliberately concealed abuse.

A message seeking comment from UCLA Health wasn’t immediately returned Monday.

The University of California, Los Angeles began investigating Heaps in 2017 and he retired the next year after the school declined to renew his contract. Heaps also was criminally charged last year with 21 counts of sexual offenses involving seven women. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.

The lawsuit was one of hundreds filed that allege abuse by Heaps. UCLA settled a similar lawsuit last year for $73 million.

In that case, more than 100 women said that between 1983 and 2018, Heaps groped women, simulated intercourse with an ultrasound probe or made inappropriate comments during examinations at the UCLA student health center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center or his on-campus office.

Under the class-action settlement, some 6,600 former patients were to receive between $2,500 and $250,000, with the higher amounts involving the extent of bodily injury and emotional distress as decided by a panel of experts.

UCLA didn’t acknowledge wrongdoing in reaching that settlement but did agree to change its procedures for preventing, identifying, investigating and dealing with sexual misconduct.

The latest lawsuit settlement follows similar massive payouts by universities over allegations that doctors abused thousands of patients.

Last month, the University of Michigan announced a $490 million settlement with more than 1,000 people who say they were sexually assaulted by a sports doctor, Dr. Robert Anderson, during his nearly four-decade career at the school. He died in 2008.

Last March, UCLA’s cross-town rival, the University of Southern California, agreed to a $852 million settlement with more than 700 women who accused its longtime campus gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall, of sexual abuse. The university reached a $215 million settlement in a separate suit.

Tyndall, who worked at the school for nearly 30 years, has pleaded not guilty to dozens of sexual misconduct criminal counts.

The USC settlements far surpassed one announced in 2018 by Michigan State University. That $500 million agreement — considered the largest of its kind at that time — settled claims from more than 300 women and girls who said they were assaulted by Larry Nassar, who was a campus sports doctor and a doctor for USA Gymnastics.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Suit alleging UCLA doctor sex abuse settled for over $100M