Ex-UCLA gynecologist James Heaps guilty of sexually abusing patients

Dr. James Heaps, a former UCLA obstetrician-gynecologist, appears in the Airport Branch Courthouse for a hearing in June 2019 with his attorney, Tracy Green. A Los Angeles County jury on Thursday found former UCLA gynecologist Dr. James Heaps guilty of sexually abusing female patients during his tenure at the university. Darren Kavinoky, a civil attorney for hundreds of women who have accused Heaps of abuse, said that while his clients had hoped for a guilty verdict on all counts, they were “gratified that James Heaps now faces more than two decades in prison and will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.” “This verdict should be heard in hospital corridors of every medical facility in the country, especially in the executive offices, where policies are formulated, so that other women don’t suffer the same horrors,” Kavinoky said. “It also sends a message to people everywhere who abuse their position of trust that they will also be held accountable for their actions.” Lenny Levine, Heaps’ attorney, said he planned to appeal the verdict, emphasizing that the jury found Heaps guilty on counts involving only two of the seven women involved in the charges against him. “That monster deserves everything that he has coming to him and nothing less.” Heaps’ own university called his conduct “reprehensible” following a $374.4-million settlement covering 312 former patients.