Hadden has denied all allegations and charges beyond the two for which he entered the 2016 guilty plea. "We commend all the women who have come forward, especially those who shared their experiences so publicly during these judicial proceedings." "The prosecution of Hadden that led to his conviction of federal crimes showed how he purposely worked to evade our oversight and engineer situations to abuse his patients," the spokesperson said. In a statement to CBS News, a spokesperson for Columbia University's Irving Medical Center said the hospital "is profoundly sorry for the pain that Robert Hadden's patients suffered and his exploitation of their trust." The accusations against him were central to a campaign for the New York Adult Survivors Act, which in November opened a one-year window for survivors of sexual abuse to file lawsuits that would otherwise be barred by statutes of limitations. More than 200 of his former patients have settled lawsuits against Columbia University, reaching agreements totalling more than $230 million. Hadden previously entered a guilty plea in 2016 to two New York State charges of criminal sex act in the third degree and forcible touching. On Monday, she objected to the length of the sentence Berman indicated, saying the judge was relying on just two witness accounts in totaling the dozens of victims he factored into his decision. "Cancel him, condemn him, do not convict him of a crime he did not commit," she said during the January trial. Hadden's attorney, Deirdre von Dornum, argued that the women at the center of the case chose to make appointments with Hadden. "While I hope that today marks the end of a chapter for all of you who been exposed to this predator-if it hasn't happened already-I hope that today can be used to start the transition from surviving, to healing, and growth."ĭefense attorneys did not claim Hadden was innocent of assaulting the women, saying during opening statements that "the harm they suffered is real and in some cases very raw." Instead, Hadden's attorneys contested that prosecutors could prove that Hadden lured the women across state lines. "You've literally done for that institution something that they have proven over, and over again, that they were incapable of doing themselves: get rid of this serial sexual predator," DiPietro said. "All I could think was 'How the hell do I get out of here? I have to get out of here," she said.Īnthony DiPietro, an attorney who represented dozens of Hadden's former patients in lawsuits against Columbia University, lauded the survivors for coming forward. I trusted him," she said, before describing the doctor removing his gloves and assaulting her with his hands and tongue. One recalled the fear she felt just after a nurse left the room when Hadden said, "one minute, stay there." She feared he was examining a medical issue, and said she thought, "Oh my, something must be wrong." It was in these moments, the former patients said, that he would insert his tongue or ungloved fingers into their vaginas, or fondle their breasts for several minutes under the guise of performing an exam. probation office pre-sentence report estimated the total number of potential victims as "at least approximately 245." Robert Hadden is seen in a New York courtroom in this 2016 file photo.Īlec Tabak/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Imagesīerman cited Hadden's "prolific" history of abuse, which he described as likely dating back to the 1980s, and the vulnerability of his patients - most of whom were pregnant, some of whom experiencing serious medical issues - in recommending significantly more incarceration than a roughly five-year sentence the sentencing guidelines suggested. In total, Berman said Monday, the trial included "credible" evidence relating to 40 victims. During his trial, in addition to the four victims who traveled to New York City for appointments from as far away as Nevada, jurors heard from another five women who said they were abused by Hadden, as well as a nurse and former medical assistant who said they witnessed more assaults.
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