Former UCLA gynecologist sentenced to 11 years on sex-related charges involving patients
LOS ANGELES -- Former UCLA campus gynecologist James Heaps was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years in prison, following his conviction on multiple sex-related charges involving former patients.
Heaps was convicted in October 2022 of five sex-related counts involving former patients, while jurors acquitted him on seven other counts.
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Superior Court Judge Michael Carter handed down the sentence Wednesday after rejecting a defense motion for a new trial.
Heaps, now 66, was accused of multiple incidents of abuse against patients over the years he practiced on campus.
He was affiliated with UCLA for 35 years and treated thousands of patients.
More than 500 lawsuits were filed against Heaps and UCLA, accusing the school of failing to protect patients after becoming aware of the misconduct.
Former UCLA gynecologist found guilty on 5 sex-related counts, acquitted on 7 others
Last year, attorneys for 312 former patients of Heaps announced a $374 million settlement of abuse lawsuits against the University of California.
Charges in his criminal trial included sexual battery by fraud and penetration of an unconscious person by fraudulent representation, along with sexual exploitation of a patient involving alleged crimes between 2009 and 2018.
The original trial listed 21 counts involving seven patients, but jurors could not reach verdicts on nine charges and a mistrial was declared for those counts.
He was found guilty of three counts of sexual battery by fraud and two counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person.
