A historic settlement is being hailed as a landmark victory for hundreds of women who survived abuse by Dr. Robert Hadden, a former Columbia University gynecologist. For over two decades, Columbia ignored his patients who spoke out, undermined prosecutors and shielded the sexual predator. “The university knew all the way back into the ’90s about what he was doing and how he was mistreating patients, but did nothing but lie, cover it up and expose more unsuspecting patients to a known serial predator,” says Anthony T. DiPietro, an attorney representing survivors in the case against Hadden.
One survivor, Eva Santos Veloz, visited Dr. Hadden at age 18. “This was my first birth,” says Veloz. “During my labor, he sexually assaulted me multiple times, not just once.”
On Tuesday, lawyers representing the women announced Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian agreed to pay $750 million after the former doctor abused the women under the guise of medical examinations. Legal payouts now top more than $1 billion, following earlier settlements. “The settlement is huge,” says Laurie Maldonado, another survivor and plaintiff in lawsuits against Hadden. “It was just a huge win for all of survivors, including Hadden survivors, but all of survivors.”
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! | Radio Free (2025-05-07T12:27:29+00:00) “Columbia Knew”: Survivors Win Historic $750M from Univ. & Hospital in OB-GYN Sex Abuse Settlement. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2025/05/07/columbia-knew-survivors-win-historic-750m-from-univ-hospital-in-ob-gyn-sex-abuse-settlement/
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