Former UCLA Gynecologist Receives 11-Year Sentence After Sexual Abuse Case

According to the University of California’s student newspaper, The Daily Bruin, James Heaps, 66, the former OB-GYN at UCLA, has received an 11-year sentence after sexually abusing his patients. Heaps was a faculty member at the  David Geffen School of Medicine and an OB-GYN at UCLA Health from 2014 to 2018.

In October, Heaps was convicted of three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of two patients while being acquitted of seven others. A press release issued by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office at the time of the conviction shared that jurors could not 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.

The Associated Press reports Superior Court Judge Michael Carter handed down his sentence while also ordering him to register as a sex offender on Wednesday. More than 500 lawsuits had been filed against Heaps and UCLA, according to ABC7. The lawsuits alleged that the institution failed to protect his patients after learning about his misconduct. Per The Los Angeles Times, the women involved in the cases testified that Heaps  "groped them, penetrated them with his ungloved hand, and committed acts of sexual stimulation under the guise of medical examinations." 

In an open letter in June 2019, Chancellor Gene Block and Vice Chancellor John Mazziotta denounced his actions. The letter reads, “Sexual abuse in any form is unacceptable and represents an inexcusable breach of the physician-patient relationship. We are deeply sorry that a former UCLA physician violated our policies and standards, our trust, and the trust of his patients.” 

After initiating an independent review of the case, UCLA agreed to pay nearly $700 million in payouts to Heaps’ victims.