A former UCLA obstetrician-gynecologist received an 11-year prison sentence on Tuesday, following allegations of sexual assault against his patients while practicing at the university.
James Heaps, aged 69, admitted guilt to 13 charges, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. These charges include six felony counts for sexually penetrating an unconscious person, five felony counts of sexual battery by fraud, and two felony counts relating to the sexual exploitation of a patient.
Over his 35-year tenure at UCLA, the institution paid out nearly $700 million to resolve civil lawsuits filed against him.
Additionally, Heaps will be required to register as a lifetime sex offender.
The conviction of James Heaps followed a ruling by a California appeals court in 2023, which cited an unfair trial due to a juror’s insufficient English proficiency affecting their duty.
Heaps’s plea comes after an appeals court in California determined he was denied a fair trial in 2023 due to concerns that one juror did not speak enough English to adequately carry out their responsibilities.
At the time, his attorney, Leonard Levine, told The Associated Press that, “justice is slow, but it’s finally been done.”
“I believe it’s just a matter of time before he is totally exonerated,” he added.
Levine did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
James Heaps’s former UCLA patients previously claimed the school ignored their complaints about him. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times, File)
Prosecutors, however, framed the outcome differently.
“Today marks the second time that we’re holding James Heaps responsible for the unconscionable crimes he committed while being entrusted with the safety of his patients,” Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said, according to the release.
“For years, Heaps exploited the sacred trust between a doctor and patient to prey on vulnerable victims during medical procedures. This sentence ensures that Heaps will finally be held accountable for the harm he inflicted under the guise of care. To the survivors: I hope today brings you closure knowing that the individual who violated your trust has been definitively brought to justice. To all survivors, please know that we believe you and we will fight for you.”
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Heaps’s prior 2023 conviction was overturned upon the discovery that one of the jurors did not speak adequate English. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP/Pool, File)
In 2023, the doctor’s former patients claimed he groped them, made suggestive comments, or conducted unnecessarily invasive exams at the college’s student health center, the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, or in his campus office.
The women who filed lawsuits against Heaps claimed the school ignored their comments and allowed the abuse to continue.
