US hospitals to pay $165 million to women abused by doctor

Two New York hospitals agreed Friday to pay more than $165 million (€169 million) to 147 former patients who accused a former gynecologist of sexual abuse and misconduct.

The agreement established a compensation fund to be distributed among the women, including dozens who sued the doctor and the hospital network when victims came forward.

The hospitals involved were Columbia University's Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian.

In a statement Friday, Columbia University Irving Medical Center said it "deeply regrets" the "pain that Robert Hadden's patients suffered and hope that these resolutions will provide some measure of support for the women he hurt. All those who came forward should be commended."

What was the doctor accused of?

The doctor, Robert Hadden, was convicted in 2016 on two charges of forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse and had surrendered his medical license. He has not worked as a doctor since 2012.

In a 2016 plea deal, Hadden lost his medical license and was registered as a low-level sex offender, but did not go to jail.

He is also awaiting separate federal charges of sexually abusing dozens of young women over two decades.

Prosecutors have described him as a "predator in a white coat." 

Evelyn Yang, the wife of former presidential candidate and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang had also accused Hadden of abusing her while she was his patient in 2012. 

In January 2020, Evelyn Yang told CNN she was assaulted by Hadden while seven months pregnant with her first child, and had at first not even told her husband. "This was a serial predator, and he just picked me as his prey," she told the network.

Columbia said that over the past decade, Irvine Medical Center's obstetrics and gynecology department has revised existing policies and expanded resources to improve patient safety.

tg/wmr (AFP, AP)