The University of Colombia has agreed to a $ 750 million resolve with a 576 former physician who had been sexually violent while working at school.
In 2023, the Prapublica Investigation, published with the New York magazine, showed how Colombia had ignored the women, blowed up the prosecutor’s office and eventually defended the predator. Gynecologist Robert Haden worked at the university for 20 years, despite decades of complaints about it.
The university even cleaned Haden to see patients three days after he was arrested when the patient called 911 to report that he had attacking her during the postpartum exam. University higher universities were informed about the arrest, but allowed Haden to continue working for another five weeks. The patients he saw during this time also reported the attacks.
The last settlement combined with payments from previous cases means that Colombia has paid more than $ 1 billion to resolve claims against Hudden’s sexual abuse. Colombia also said she has now settled more than 1000 claims against former Hadden patients.
Haden was convicted of sex crimes in the federal court in January 2023 and is now serving a 20-year prison term.
Laurie Kagnek, a patient who called 911, said the settlement is bitter. “This is emotionally, because it has been 13 years,” she said propublica.
She also said that financial compensation does not mean justice.
“I am grateful that I am involved in this,” Kagnek said. “At the same time, I feel that I want people to be held accountable, not just whose insurance company or a checkbook.”
Unlike other loud cases associated with sexual abuse by doctors, no administrators from Colombia fired or left the Haden’s case.
In her statement, Colombia acknowledged that she could not protect Haden’s patients. “We are deeply sorry about the pain affected by his patients, and this settlement is another step forward in our constant work and commitment to resuming the damage and support of those who survived,” the statement said. “We welcome those who survived their courage, going forward.”
The latter settlement puts Colombia along with the university’s largest payment to resolve claims against sexual abuse. In 2021, the University of Southern California agreed to pay $ 1.1 billion surviving George Tyns, a university gynecologist who abused thousands of women.
Anthony Dipotra, a lawyer who was dealing with the majority of Colombia’s claims, said that this week’s resolution lesson is clear: the institutions “cannot continue to cover sexual exploitation and abuse of doctors because they will be held accountable.”
A few weeks after the investigation, Propublica Colombia announced that to create a $ 100 million settlement fund for patients who did not want to file civil lawsuits. U survivors, until May 15, until May 15, May 15 Put a claim.
As part of the same announcement, Colombia also stated that almost 6,500 former Haden patients were reporting about the doctor’s crime and that she would make an an an an an an An external investigation study the failures that have allowed to abuse for so long.
Asked about the status of this investigation, which was announced a year -half back, the university said it was ongoing. Colombia did not give terms to complete the report.
