What is the Adult Survivors Act?

Under the New York Adult Survivors Act, survivors of adult sexual assault who were previously barred from filing a claim because the statute of limitation had expired have been granted a one-year time frame to file a lawsuit. This time frame is known as a lookback window and expires on November 24, 2023.

What prompted the passage of the New York Adult Survivors Act?

Survivors of adult sexual violence have long been denied justice in New York because of an unfair statute of limitations of just five years for civil claims. In 2019, then-Governor Cuomo signed a law that increased the civil statute of limitations for adult sexual abuse to 20 years. Unfortunately, this legislation came too late for the thousands of survivors whose claims were already barred because the statute of limitations had expired. The Adult Survivors Act in New York aims to address this by providing a temporary lifetime lookback window for these deserving survivors.

Who can file a lawsuit under the New York Adult Survivors Act?

You may be eligible to file a lawsuit under the Adult Survivors Act if a sexual offense was perpetrated against you after you turned 18, and the statute of limitations expired before you were ready to file a claim, or your claim was dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired.

Who can I sue in an Adult Survivors Act lawsuit?

Individuals and companies may be liable for the sexual abuse you suffered. When you hire our experienced sex abuse attorneys in New York, we will look not only for evidence to implicate the perpetrator but also for companies and individuals who enabled the abuse. These may include businesses that failed to provide adequate security, religious organizations who covered up abuses, and employers whose employees committed sexual assault.

What compensation can I recover in a New York Adult Survivors Act lawsuit?

Damages in a sexual assault lawsuit can compensate you for medical expenses brought on by physical injuries, the cost of psychological counseling, and lost wages. You can also pursue compensation for non-monetary losses, such as emotional trauma, loss of enjoyment of life and pain and suffering.

What if I miss the lookback window?

The expiration of the lookback window does not affect all adult survivors of sexual abuse. The statute of limitations is complex, and the only way to know for sure is to consult an experienced New York sex abuse attorney.

Robert Hadden Columbia University Hospital Settlements

For enabling Robert Hadden’s abuse, Columbia University has agreed to pay a settlement of more than $230 million. The deadline for filing your claim against Columbia was November 24, 2023. Do not wait. If you were a patient of the former Dr. Hadden, contact Herman Law today for a free, confidential consultation. This includes former patients who received notice from CUIMC regarding the Hadden Settlement Fund.

Home > New York > Dr. Robert Hadden > Robert Hadden Columbia University Hospital Settlements

Robert Hadden is a former obstetrician-gynecologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. In 2012, one of Robert Hadden’s postpartum patients filed a complaint with the New York Police Department reporting a sexual assault. The complaint alleged that he made oral contact with her genitals. Hadden was immediately arrested, but the case was ultimately dismissed for lack of evidence. Columbia University refused to cooperate in the investigation.

This was the first public revelation of Robert Hadden’s long string of sexual abuse against his patients. Though the investigation was short-lived, it inspired more victims of the former Dr. Hadden to come forward. In 2016, Robert Hadden pled guilty to state sexual abuse charges. He evaded jail time by agreeing to a plea bargain with state prosecutors. However, in 2020, he was indicted on federal charges, resulting in a 20-year prison sentence and lifetime supervised release.

While criminal prosecution provides a measure of justice to the hundreds—perhaps even thousands—of Hadden’s sexual assault victims, it does not spare them from living with the trauma of sexual abuse. In fact, nothing can.

A civil lawsuit provides a legal avenue to secure financial compensation from the medical institutions responsible for employing and shielding this serial sexual predator. New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center was made aware of former Dr. Hadden’s sexual abuse in the early 1990s. It failed to investigate these allegations and dozens of similar reports over the next two decades.

If you were sexually abused by former Dr. Robert Hadden, his employing institutions should be held accountable. New York law provides a short window of time to file a lawsuit. The deadline was November 24, 2023. Contact us today to schedule a free, confidential consultation with one of our compassionate and experienced sexual abuse lawyers. We are here to help.

QUICKLINKS

2021 Dr. Hadden Settlement With Columbia University
2022 Hadden Lawsuit Settlement
2023 Lawsuit
How to File Your Lawsuit Against Dr. Hadden and Columbia University
Why Is Columbia University Liable for Dr. Hadden’s Sexual Abuse?
Take Action Now: Time to File Your Lawsuit Against Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Is Running Out
Herman Law Is Ready to Fight For You

2021 Hadden Settlement With Columbia University

In December 2021, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center agreed to pay $71.5 million to 79 patients who were sexually assaulted by the former Dr. Robert Hadden.

Hadden victims have been outspoken in their calls for accountability from Columbia University. One prominent survivor has complained on CNN that the $71.5 million settlement is “conveniently selective” for Columbia. According to her, it provides a way for the school to save face for its association with Hadden while continuing to leave thousands of survivors in the dark. This is because Columbia University still refuses to formally give notice to Hadden’s former patients that he took advantage of his medical practice to perpetrate scores of sex crimes.

Failing to notify these patients is an obvious attempt to evade further lawsuits by the victims who were harmed through Columbia’s complacency. Why? Because the deadline for filing a lawsuit against Columbia is November 24, 2023, the school has little to no incentive to bring further attention to its affiliation with the former Dr. Hadden until this deadline passes.

2022 Hadden Lawsuit Settlement

In December 2022, Columbia University and its affiliated hospitals agreed to settle with 147 of Robert Hadden’s other victims for a sum of $165 million. The class-action lawsuit, which was filed in February 2020, alleged that Columbia University and its affiliates forced patients to continue seeking medical care from a serial predator by:

Conspiring to conceal the former Dr. Hadden’s abuse,
Enabling his criminally abusive behavior,
Failing to notify authorities of his reported assaults for decades,
Failing to remove him as an employee after his pattern of abuse was clear, and
Failing to warn patients about his criminally abusive sexual behavior.

2023 Lawsuit

In October 2023, yet another lawsuit was filed against Columbia University and its medical institutions on behalf of 301 victims. This lawsuit refers to thee former Dr. Robert Hadden as “the most prolific sexual predator in New York State history.” It even includes allegations that medical staff were present during many instances of Hadden’s sexual abuse but did nothing to stop it.

On November 9, 2023, Herman Law filed a Group Action Lawsuit on behalf of 159 survivors of Hadden’s abuse against NY-Presbyterian Hospital. Hear their stories from the press conference:

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How to File Your Lawsuit Against Robert Hadden and Columbia University

Since Hadden has been criminally prosecuted and incarcerated for his crimes, suing him individually may not yield the financial compensation you deserve. He is not the only one responsible for the abuse. NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center owes patients a duty to provide a safe medical environment. In this, it utterly failed by allowing the former Dr. Hadden to continue practicing medicine there after his pattern of abuse was clear.

If you were sexually assaulted by Robert Hadden, you might have grounds to file a civil lawsuit against NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center to hold it accountable for shielding and enabling his pervasive pattern of criminal sexual abuse. Even if you were assaulted by the former Dr. Hadden as far back as 1990, you may have a viable claim and should consult with an attorney.

Our experienced and compassionate hospital sexual abuse lawyers are standing by to help. At Herman Law, we specialize in helping victims of sexual abuse and assault exercise their right to justice and accountability. We are national leaders in our practice area. Let us fight for you.

Why Is Columbia University Liable for former Dr. Hadden’s Sexual Abuse?

Columbia University had numerous opportunities to stop the former Dr. Hadden’s criminal sexual abuse and protect patients at its medical center. Columbia instead chose to do nothing, allowing Hadden to sexually assault patient after patient for decades.

Had Columbia taken action against the former Dr. Hadden, hundreds of patients—maybe even thousands—would have been kept safe from this serial sexual predator. The evidence and allegations against Columbia are staggering:

Several victims recall that nurses, medical assistants, and even other doctors were present and took no action as Hadden committed his abuse.
Some nurses and other medical staff have admitted that they were aware of and sometimes even present during Hadden’s abuse but failed to act.
Columbia University staff reported that they feared repercussions if they reported Hadden’s abuse.
Patients who reported Hadden’s abuse were systematically ignored. Later, when the allegations became public, patients were referred to Columbia University’s lawyer instead of being told to contact law enforcement.
Columbia University lacked written policies and procedures for handling patient complaints against doctors.
Columbia University has demonstrated extreme indifference to the former Dr. Hadden’s victims by refusing to notify his previous patients—all potential victims—that he has been convicted of sex crimes that occurred while he was their doctor.

If you or your loved one was assaulted by the former Dr. Robert Hadden, you may be eligible for significant financial compensation. However, survivors have a very limited amount of time to file a claim. The deadline is November 24, 2023. Do not wait. Contact us today to schedule a free, confidential case review.

Take Action Now: Time to File Your Lawsuit Against Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Is Running Out

Columbia University and its affiliates relied on their power and prestige to insulate them from accountability for the former Dr. Robert Hadden’s egregious criminal behavior committed in the course and scope of his employment. For decades, victims were systematically silenced because Columbia showed more concern for protecting its own reputation, as well as that of a serial sexual predator, over and above protecting its own patients. By the time many of Hadden’s victims began to come forward, the New York statute of limitations governing sexual assault had already expired.

Fortunately, regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred, the New York Adult Survivors Act allowed people who were sexually assaulted to file a civil lawsuit against their abuser and other responsible parties. However, the one-year window closed on November 24, 2023.

If you did not file your claim before the deadline, you may lose your right to pursue legal justice, accountability, and compensation from Columbia University and its affiliates.

Herman Law Is Ready to Fight For You

Our experienced and compassionate New York sexual abuse lawyers are here to help you fight for justice. We understand the courage it takes for sexual assault survivors to come forward against powerful institutions like Columbia University. We will stand by you every step of the way. You can count on our attorneys to handle your case with utmost care, compassion, and sensitivity. Contact us today to schedule your free, confidential consultation.

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