"Doctor Sexually Harasses Hundreds of Patients"… US University Hospital Agrees to $330 Million Settlement

Sexual Harassment by US Obstetrician... Hospital Legal Liability
Compensation Fund of About 337.1 Billion KRW for 226 Victims

A specialist obstetrician and gynecologist in the United States sexually assaulted hundreds of patients, and the medical institution has agreed to pay billions of won in compensation to the victims. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Foreign media reported that a medical institution in the United States has agreed to pay billions of won in compensation to victims related to a case where an obstetrician-gynecologist sexually assaulted hundreds of patients.

According to the Washington Post (WP) on the 8th (local time), Robert Hayden, a former clinical assistant professor at Columbia University, worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist at a hospital from 1993 to 2012 and habitually sexually assaulted patients.

He was convicted on some charges in a New York state court in 2016, had his medical license revoked, but was released without serving prison time. Additionally, he was indicted in 2020 for violating related federal laws and is currently undergoing a separate trial.

In this regard, Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System (NYP) have established a compensation fund and reached a settlement with the victims of sexual assault. CUIMC is one of the seven hospitals under the NYP medical foundation. NYP is also known to operate a university hospital system encompassing Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medicine.

First, in December last year, they reached the first settlement worth $71.5 million (approximately 101.89 billion KRW) with 79 victims. Then, on the 7th, they announced through a statement that they had established a compensation fund amounting to $165.081 million (approximately 235.24 billion KRW) by settling with 147 remaining victims.

CUIMC stated in the announcement, "We deeply regret the pain experienced by Robert Hayden’s patients and hope that this measure will provide some relief to the women he harmed."

Accordingly, compensation totaling $236.6 million (approximately 337.15 billion KRW) will be paid to 226 victims. The compensation will be distributed under the direction of a special administrator jointly appointed by the victims and CUIMC and NYP.

However, WP reported that some victims have not yet signed the settlement, so the case is not completely closed.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.