NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The DiPietro Law Firm filed a new round of lawsuits on behalf of another 80 former patients of Columbia University and its felon OB/GYN Robert A. Hadden in the New York State Supreme Court. Today’s legal action brings the total number of cases being civilly prosecuted by DiPietro to 549.
The number of cases filed against Hadden and Columbia has recently increased as more women learn the extent of Columbia’s cover-up. Others who had previously submitted claims to Columbia’s settlement fund have recently discovered that the fund is paying victims less than 10 cents on the dollar of what their cases are worth. As a result, the women have been rejecting Columbia’s low-ball offers and filing individual actions with DiPietro.
“I’ve been saying Columbia’s fake settlement fund was a scam from the beginning,” said Patient Safety Attorney Anthony T. DiPietro. “Even the Judge agreed with me and issued a restraining order that forced Columbia to tell women that they should consult with an attorney before signing away their rights. I’m happy to see that a lot of women figured out that Columbia can’t be trusted, and feel terrible for those who may have been exploited by Columbia’s Trustees for a second time in Columbia’s fake fund.”
The window to file cases under New York’s Gender Motivated Violence Act is still open, but only until February 28, 2025. Anyone who hasn’t filed a case by that date may be prohibited from receiving justice for these crimes. “Time is on our side. But it’s not unlimited,” says DiPietro. “It’s important to act now.”
The Letter That Changed Everything
After receiving a call from a former patient of Hadden, who relocated to Utah after she was assaulted by the doctor back in the 1990’s, attorney Anthony T. DiPietro flew across the country to search for a document that would change the whole case. While carefully combing through a countless number of boxes containing family mementos, children’s homework assignments, and other documents in the former patient’s basement, DiPietro found the letter authored by Columbia University’s former Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Harold E. Fox. The Chairman’s letter was written to the patient back in 1995—apologizing for the assault that Hadden committed upon her during a prenatal examination the patient underwent at Columbia while she was pregnant.
“Up to that point, Columbia and their lawyers denied they had any knowledge of Hadden’s sexual misconduct with patients," says DiPietro. “But the letter proved Columbia knew all along—for over 20 years—that Hadden was sexually exploiting women under the guise of medical care. For decades, Columbia did nothing except help cover up Hadden’s crimes.”
Exposing Columbia University’s Cover-up of a Serial Predator
The DiPietro Law Firm filed their first cases against Columbia University, The New York- Presbyterian Hospital and Robert Hadden in 2012. Several years later, Hadden pled guilty to crimes against patients in a criminal case that was handled by the District Attorney of New York. In 2016, The District Attorney’s Office offered Hadden a highly controversial plea deal that involved no jail time, no fine, and no community service. “Hadden was offered an outrageous plea deal by the DA that more closely resembled an early paid retirement— instead of a sentence for a convicted, serial sexual predator,” says DiPietro. During litigation and the pendency of the criminal case, Columbia University claimed that it had no knowledge that Robert Hadden was acting inappropriately with any of their patients.
Hadden’s Criminal Convictions
In 2020, Federal Prosecutors indicted Robert Hadden for his crimes against patients. Three years later, the prosecutors secured a conviction. In 2023, Hadden was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum term under the law. Hadden’s sentence should result in the now 66-year-old predator physician spending the rest of his life behind bars.
At the sentencing, the judge described Hadden’s misconduct as "exceptional, unprecedented, and shocking.” More recently, the appellate court for the Second Circuit affirmed Hadden’s sentence of 20 years in prison. Attorney Anthony T. DiPietro says “This is a victory for every survivor who has come forward to help expose the truth about Hadden’s abuse and Columbia’s decades long cover-up.” DiPietro is the leading advocate for victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse within the medical profession. He added, “The Second Circuit’s decision sends a clear and powerful message, that people who abuse their positions of trust will face the full weight of the law.”
Exposed: Cover-Up at Columbia University
To date, The DiPietro Law Firm has recovered more than $ 250 million on behalf of former patients who have sued Columbia, Hadden, and their insurance carriers, in an effort to hold them accountable for their crimes. DiPietro also secured a restraining order against Columbia, which prevented Columbia and its Board of Trustees from making further misleading communications with patients about a bogus “settlement fund” that Columbia created in an effort to dissuade patients from seeking legal redress in the courts. Columbia was later allowed to re-open the fund, provided it disclosed to patients that they should consult with an attorney before assigning away their rights. As a result, women abandoned the Fund to file separate actions against Columbia and Hadden.
Cases like these highlight the importance of holding powerful offenders accountable. “As a society, we must hold institutions accountable—and expose their wrongdoings—in order to protect other patients. The work we’re doing is designed to make the community safer for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come,” says DiPietro.
Time Is On Your Side, But It’s Not Unlimited
If you or someone you know was exposed to Robert Hadden at Columbia University or one of its related medical offices or clinics, the time to file a case has been extended under New York City’s Gender Motivated Violence Act to February 28, 2025.
More About The DiPietro Law Firm
The DiPietro Law Firm is headquartered in New York, with offices in New York City, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. Attorney Anthony T. DiPietro handles cases across the nation involving sexual exploitation and abuse, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and other high-stakes litigation. DiPietro is a prominent advocate for patient safety who has garnered national recognition for representing victims and survivors. DiPietro’s accomplishments include the landmark settlements against Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, securing over $ 250 million for patients of disgraced OB/GYN Robert Hadden. DiPietro is currently representing more than 375 male patients of New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s disgraced Urologist Darius Paduch, who was recently sentenced to life in prison for sexually exploiting boys and men. He has earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading advocates for increased patient safety and institutional accountability that is designed to protect patients in all areas of medical practice.
For more information, contact The DiPietro Law Firm at (212) 233-3600 or visit https://www.ATDLaw.com
