I didn’t see this discussed anywhere and I warn there are incidents that are so disturbing they made me shudder and cry.
Dr James Heaps, a seriously deranged gynecologist at UCLA, was able to prey on college students and seriously ill women—550 over the years—who complained and were ignored.
Heaps completed his internship, residency and fellowship in gynecologic oncology at UCLA in the 1980s, was a longtime faculty member at the school of medicine, and served for many years as a consulting physician for UCLA Student Health. From 1990 to 2014, he had a private practice but had privileges at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and from 2014 to 2018, he was employed by UCLA Health as an obstetrician-gynecologist.
After a settlement of $73 million was reached in April of 2021, some of the attorneys representing the victims advised opting out of the settlement, saying:
“This settlement allows UCLA to keep its dark secrets,” said John Manly, an attorney representing 135 clients who are among more than 300 accusers of Heaps who have already opted out of the settlement. Manly said the settlement only enriches lawyers and covers up the truth and ensures no UCLA administrators are held accountable.
Taylor Rayfield, a partner of Manly, said the settlement protects the institution from having to produce witnesses and documents and from allowing survivors to find out who hid evidence and allowed the abuse to continue for so many years.
Heaps was indicted on 21 counts of felony sexual misconduct in May 2021. He pled not guilty on all counts.
In that case, more than 100 women said that between 1983 and 2018, Heaps groped women, simulated intercourse with an ultrasound probe or made inappropriate comments during examinations at the UCLA student health center, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center or his on-campus office.
The stories are as awful as any I have ever heard. Some of the students were required to see him by their student health insurer. For many, it took YEARS for UCLA to pay them any attention.
Kara Cagle said at a news conference Tuesday that she was undergoing treatment for a rare form of breast cancer and had been through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation when she said Heaps abused her. “I could never have imagined that someone would have taken such despicable advantage of me during that time.” She left in tears, she said, feeling violated, embarrassed and humiliated.
But she said she had to wait eight years for a response from UCLA about “the horrific abuse inflicted on me by one of their doctors.” She choked up as she said that her heart breaks for all the women who were not spared, “all the women who suffered after me because UCLA refused to act.”
I have to give credit to John Manly, the attorney who asked the women last year not to settle. This made me cry in outrage:
“This has got to stop,” he said. “I can’t tell you what it’s like to speak to a woman who’s got terminal ovarian cancer and the last weeks of her life are spent litigating with her oncologist who sexually assaulted her.
“It’s just — evil. Doctors are supposed to heal.”