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UCLA settles gynecologist sex abuse suit for $246 million

UCLA Gynecologist Sex Abuse Settlement
Posted at 3:46 PM, Feb 09, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-09 18:46:55-05

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawsuit alleging that a former UCLA gynecologist sexually abused hundreds of women has been settled for $246.3 million. The amount of the settlement was announced Tuesday by UCLA and some of the lawyers representing 203 women.

It's one of hundreds of lawsuits filed by patients who allege that Dr. James Heaps groped or otherwise abused them during his 35-year career and that UCLA concealed the misconduct. UCLA settled another lawsuit last year for $73 million.

Heaps has pleaded not guilty to 21 sex-abuse criminal charges.

Other schools have settled similar lawsuits. The University of Michigan announced a $490 million settlement last month. USC's settlement bill tops $1 billion.