From 2014 until 2018, James Heaps was a member of the David Geffen School of Medicine faculty and an OB-GYN at UCLA Health.
For sexually abusing his patients, a former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
From 2014 through 2018, James Heaps, 66, was a faculty member at the David Geffen School of Medicine and an OB-GYN at UCLA Health, according to The Daily Bruin, the university’s student newspaper.
In October, Heaps was found guilty on three counts of sexual battery by deception and two counts of sexual penetration of two patients, but acquitted on seven others.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office stated in a press release at the time of the conviction that jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on three counts of sexual battery by fraud, four counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person, and two counts of sexual exploitation of a patient.
After the conviction, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón stated, “although we accept the jurors’ findings on the acquitted counts, we are certainly upset.”
According to the Associated Press, Superior Court Judge Michael Carter handed down his sentence on Wednesday while also requiring him to register as a sex offender. A lawyer for Heaps did not reply quickly to a request for comment.
More than 500 lawsuits have been filed against Heaps and UCLA, according to ABC7, alleging that the institution failed to protect his patients after learning about his misbehavior.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the women who testified in the cases said the former doctor “groped them, penetrated them with his ungloved hand, and conducted acts of sexual stimulation under the pretense of medical inspections.”
In an open letter published in June 2019, University Chancellor Gene Block and Vice Chancellor John Mazziotta condemned his behavior.
“Sexual abuse in any form is reprehensible and constitutes a heinous violation of the physician-patient relationship. We are extremely sorry that a former UCLA physician broke our policies and standards, as well as our and his patients’ confidence “The letter is read in sections.
According to The Washington Post, the institution decided to pay over $700 million to his victims after launching an independent assessment of the matter.
