(New York) A former New York gynecologist, who had been accused of sexual assaults by dozens of women, resulting in his hospital paying more than $200 million in damages, was found guilty in federal court on Tuesday. Manhattan, where he faces life imprisonment.
“Robert Hadden was a predator in a white coat. For years, he cruelly lured into his offices women who hoped for professional medical care in order to satisfy his pleasures,” Manhattan federal prosecutor Damian Williams lambasted shortly after the verdict. He hailed the “courageous women” who testified against him, including some at trial.
The 64-year-old former doctor, who practiced in particular at the Irving Medical Center of the prestigious New York University of Columbia (CUIMC), had been accused by dozens of victims, including minor patients, between the beginning of the 1990s and 2012 .
Among them was the wife of an entrepreneur who entered politics and candidate for the Democratic primary for the 2020 presidential election, Andrew Yang. Evelyn Yang had confided in 2020 on CNN to have been sexually assaulted in 2012, when she was seven months pregnant, which she had never confided to her husband.
PHOTO SETH WENIG, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Evelyn Yang
At the end of the trial, Robert Hadden was found guilty on Tuesday of four counts for which he faces 20 years in prison each. Sentencing will be handed down on April 25.
Hadden, who had not practiced since 2012, pleaded guilty in New York state court in 2016 to lesser charges. He was then stripped of his medical license and placed on the sex offenders register, but the deal saved him from jail.
On Oct. 7, 2022, CUIMC and its affiliated New York Presbyterian Hospital announced that they would jointly pay more than $165 million to 147 former patients who accused Robert Hadden of inappropriate acts and sexual assault.
A year earlier, the two establishments had already promised 71.5 million dollars to 79 other patients of the former doctor.