Ex-UCLA gynecologist James Heaps found guilty of sexual abuse
The jury in the case involving former UCLA campus gynecologist Dr. James Heaps has found the latter guilty.
Heaps was indicted on 21 sex-related counts involving seven patients. He has been convicted of five counts and acquitted of seven.
He was found guilty of three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person. He was taken into custody over the objection of his defense attorney, who wanted him to remain free on bail. Judge Michael Carter declared a mistrial on the nine counts on which jurors were deadlocked.
The split verdict means that the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office could bring Heaps back to court on the nine counts that the jury could not make a decision on.
More than 500 women have accused Heaps of sexually assaulting them during his tenure at UCLA, spanning from 1983 to 2018. At one point, he was the highest paid doctor in the entire University of California system.
A report released by the UC system earlier in 2022 found that UCLA repeatedly failed to properly investigate abuse allegations, allowing him to remain in practice even during an internal investigation.
"Thank God he will never be able to hurt anyone the way that he hurt each one of us, and so many, hundreds of other women," said Melanie Padilla, one of Heaps' many victims who spoke following the verdict. "He repaid my trust and faith in him by taking advantage of me and abusing me in truly horrific ways. This man's sickening actions have severely impacted the life and damaged my marriage and relationships forever."
In February, the school agreed to pay $243 million to settle 200 lawsuits brought against UCLA by women.
"Know that sexual abuse and assault you have suffered has nothing to do with who you are," said Nicole Gumpert, another victim of Heaps. "It does not define you and it never will."
In May, that total was raised to more than $700 million, with an additional 112 women being paid out as a result to accusations and lawsuits against Heaps.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 17, and a prosecutor said Heaps is facing 28 years in state prison. Prosecutors say that if the sentence is satisfactory, it's unlikely they'll bring Heaps back for another trial.
"It's a relief that he's going behind bars today," said a woman only identified as Julie. "The fear that he's been out there, the appointments happened a while ago, but the terror stays with you."
Heaps' defense team maintains that they will appeal the guilty verdicts, claiming that the judge unfairly prevented them from including critical evidence.
