University of California agreed to pay $243.6 Million to settle claims that hundreds of UCLA women were sexually abused. Lawyers and the university made this announcement Tuesday.
According to a statement, the parties stated that the settlement was reached after extensive litigation with the help of a private mediator.
Some of the lawyers representing the 203 women who claimed they were groped and abused by Dr. James Heaps during a 35-year career had announced the initial news about the settlement on Monday.
According to the lawsuit, the university deliberately concealed abuse and ignored decades-old complaints.
UCLA stated that Heaps’ conduct was “reprehensible” and in violation of the University’s core values. “Our first and greatest obligation will always be towards the communities that we serve, and this settlement is one step towards providing healing and closure to the plaintiffs.”
Heaps was first investigated by the University of California Los Angeles in 2017. He retired the following year when the school refused to renew his contract. Heaps was also criminally charged with 21 sexual offenses involving seven females last year. He pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing.
John C. Manly was one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers. He said that the University of California system regulators decided to settle the claims instead of “unnecessarily causing further damage upon these survivors”. This should serve as a model for other universities with similar claims.
Manly stated in a statement that “this historic settlement allows these courageous women to achieve their litigation objectives of accountability and compensation. Paving the way for their continued healing.”
This lawsuit was just one of many that were filed alleging abuse by Heaps. UCLA settled a similar case last year for $73 Million.
More than 100 women claimed that Heaps had groped them between 1983 and 2018. Heaps also simulated having intercourse using an ultrasound probe. Heaps was also accused of making inappropriate comments during exams at UCLA’s student health center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, or his on-campus office.
The class-action settlement provided that $6,600 of former patients would receive between $2,500 to $250,000. The higher amounts were determined by an expert panel and based on the severity of their bodily injury.
UCLA did not admit wrongdoing, but it did agree to modify its procedures for dealing with sexual misconduct prevention, investigation, and investigation.
This latest settlement comes after similar large payouts from universities for allegations that doctors had abused thousands of patients.
The University of Michigan has announced a $490million settlement with over 1,000 victims who claim they were sexually assaulted during Dr. Robert Anderson’s nearly four-decade tenure at the school. In 2008, he died.
UCLA’s crosstown rival, University of Southern California, reached an $852 million settlement last March with 700 women who had accused Dr. George Tyndall of sexual abuse. In a separate case, the university settled for $215 million.
Tyndall worked at the school for almost 30 years and has pleaded guilty to numerous sexual misconduct criminal charges.
The USC settlements were far more significant than the 2018 Michigan State University one. This $500 million settlement, which was the largest of its kind at the time, settled claims by more than 300 victims who claimed they were assaulted and tortured by Larry Nassar. He was both a campus doctor and a doctor for USA Gymnastics.
