Sauder Schelkopf is investigating a sexual misconduct lawsuit against Columbia University and its affiliated hospitals. It is alleged that for nearly 20 years, a Columbia University gynecologist in New York City sexually abused female patients. It is alleged that the sexual abuse by Dr. Robert Hadden took place from 1993 to 2012.
On Oct 7. 2022, CNN reported in part:
Nearly 150 women who reported sexual abuse or misconduct by a former gynecologist reached a $165 million settlement with the hospital system that employed him, Columbia University announced Friday.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital reached the settlement with 147 women who were patients of Robert A. Hadden, according to a news release from the institution. The money will be used to establish a compensation fund to be distributed to the women.
The agreement follows a $71.5 million settlement in 2021 between the hospital system and 79 women who were patients of Hadden.
As reported by the New York Times on Oct. 22, 2019:
In 2016, Mr. Vance’s office agreed to a plea deal with Robert A. Hadden, a gynecologist who had been accused of sexual abuse by 19 patients, that allowed him to avoid prison time. The office then went against the recommendation of a state panel and sought the lowest sex offender status for the doctor, which a judge granted. . . .
The investigation of Mr. Hadden, a gynecologist with Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, began in June 2012 when a patient told the police that during an exam, he had licked her vagina and touched her nipples.
Related News
Manhattan DA’s office investigating new assault allegations against former Columbia OB-GYN
Exclusive: New evidence shows a patient warned Columbia University about OB-GYN
Experience Matters
Sauder Schelkopf has a nationally recognized sexual misconduct practice. The firm’s attorneys have represented survivors of clergy sexual abuse in dioceses throughout the country. Our firm currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in courts across the country. The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf have recovered over $500 million on behalf of their clients and class members. Our attorneys have been recognized by LawDragon in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022. This list notes: “From the opioid epidemic to toxic substances and defective products, truck accidents to wildfires and sexual abuse, these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice.” Mr. Schelkopf was named to Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers® 2022 for Class Actions/Mass Tort Litigation. The American Lawyer named Mr. Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder and Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlighted Mr. Sauder’s innovative work on advocacy as class counsel in large institutional sex abuse cover-ups, women’s, and children’s rights. Our attorneys have also consistently been recognized by our peers being named to Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania. Our attorneys have also been selected by the National Trial Lawyers Association as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania
Sexual Abuse
- Sauder Schelkopf represented numerous women who alleged they were subjected to sexual misconduct by a gynecologist at a hospital located in Pasadena, California.
- Sauder Schelkopf, and co-counsel, recently reached a $215 million settlement on behalf of female patients of Dr. George Tyndall, a gynecologist at the University of Southern California accused of sexual misconduct since the 1990s.
- We have represented survivors of clergy sexual abuse in dioceses throughout the country.
- We have a lawsuit pending on behalf of males who were victims of sexual misconduct by Dr. Richard Strauss, the Ohio State team doctor, while they were students and student-athletes at Ohio State University.
- We recently announced a landmark class action settlement in which the University of Michigan agreed to “major institutional reforms.” It was alleged that UofM’s longtime employment of a predatory former sports doctor evidenced a toxic environment where students face an increased risk of sexual violence in violation of Title IX. The settlement comes after widespread allegations by over 1000 survivors of sexual misconduct by Dr. Robert E. Anderson, former director of University Health Service, and a former athletic team physician, who worked at the University of Michigan from 1968 until his retirement in 2003.
We Want to Hear from You
If you are a survivor of sexual misconduct, you can confidentially contact the lawyers at Sauder Schelkopf by filling out the form on this page or calling 888.711.9975