Home / Crime and Justice / UCLA Gynecologist Guilty of Abuse, Gets 11 Years
UCLA Gynecologist Guilty of Abuse, Gets 11 Years
14 Apr
Summary
- A former UCLA gynecologist pleaded guilty to 13 felony sexual abuse charges.
- He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and must register as a sex offender.
- UCLA paid nearly $700 million to hundreds of patients in settlements.
A former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), James Heaps, has pleaded guilty to 13 felony sexual abuse charges. He was sentenced on Tuesday to 11 years in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender for life. This plea resolves a case involving five victims.
Heaps' previous 11-year sentence from 2023 was overturned in February by an appeals court due to concerns about a juror's English proficiency. Instead of facing a new trial, Heaps accepted the plea deal.
The scandal, which surfaced in 2019, resulted in UCLA agreeing to pay approximately $700 million to hundreds of Heaps' former patients. Patients reported alleged assaults and invasive exams during his 35-year career at the university.
