Dr. Robert Hadden Sexual Abuse Lawsuits

For more than two decades, Dr. Robert Hadden practiced as an OB-GYN at two of New York City's most prominent medical institutions. During that time, he sexually abused hundreds of patients who came to him for prenatal care, postpartum visits, and routine gynecological exams.

Hadden is now serving a 20-year federal prison sentence. Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital have paid out more than $1 billion in civil settlements to survivors. For many people he harmed, a civil claim against those institutions remains a way to be heard and to pursue justice.

Help Law Group advocates for survivors who were sexually abused by Dr. Robert Hadden. Whether you are exploring your options for the first time or have been sitting with this for years, our team is here to answer your questions.

Dr. Robert Hadden worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.

He received his medical degree from New York Medical College in 1987 and began his OB-GYN practice at Columbia shortly after, where he would remain for the duration of his career. During those years, he cared for women during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and routine gynecological visits.

Federal prosecutors described that position of trust as the foundation of his abuse. He used the clinical setting and the perceived legitimacy of medical examinations to commit sexual assaults on patients who came to him for care.

His conduct spanned decades before criminal charges were brought. The institutions where he worked received complaints and failed to act on them.

Federal prosecutors described a deliberate and calculated approach to targeting patients. According to the federal indictment, Hadden's conduct involved:

"developing a relationship with his victims and causing them to trust him, before engaging in a course of increasingly abusive conduct, which Hadden attempted to mask under the guise of legitimate medical care."

Hadden abused patients during examinations presented as routine medical care. Survivors consistently reported confusion, delayed recognition, and self-doubt about what had happened — responses that reflect how deliberately his conduct was designed to avoid detection.

A key element was isolation. Court records describe chaperones being dismissed or absent during portions of appointments, leaving patients alone with Hadden without any witness.

The federal indictment addressed how Hadden selected his patients. Prosecutors stated:

"For many victims, Hadden was their first gynecologist, and for others, Hadden was their doctor during their first pregnancy. In doing so, Hadden intentionally targeted victims who would not know what to expect during their exams."

His victims included:

• Pregnant women and patients in postpartum care,

• Young women visiting an OB-GYN for the first time, and

• Minors, including at least one teenager he had previously delivered as a baby.

Sexual abuse by a medical provider causes harm that follows survivors long after they leave that office. Patients seek out an OB-GYN during some of the most intimate and vulnerable periods of their lives. When the person entrusted with that care commits abuse, the effects reach into every part of a survivor's life.

Survivors of physician sexual abuse commonly experience:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including intrusive memories and heightened anxiety;

• Depression, persistent shame, and self-blame;

• Disrupted trust in medical providers, leading some to avoid necessary care entirely;

• Strained relationships and difficulty with intimacy, particularly for those whose abuse occurred during pregnancy or postpartum care;

• Physical health consequences from avoiding medical follow-up; and

• Delayed recognition of the abuse, sometimes by years, because the conduct was framed as medical treatment.

The harm is real regardless of when it is recognized or named. Civil claims can seek compensation for therapy costs, lost wages, and the lasting emotional and physical toll of what survivors experienced.

Investigative reporting, court records, and civil litigation have raised serious and documented questions about what Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital knew, and when.

The public record includes the following:

• Patient complaints about Hadden's conduct reached Columbia administrators in the early 1990s with no documented response.

• Columbia received a detailed written complaint from a patient in the mid-1990s describing sexual abuse; the university acknowledged it and never followed up.

• When Hadden was arrested in June 2012, Columbia cleared him to return to seeing patients within days; patients he saw during the following weeks also reported being assaulted.

• After Hadden left his practice in 2012, Columbia sent former patients a letter describing only that he was closing his practice, with no mention of the arrest.

• Columbia did not notify Hadden's approximately 6,500 former patients of his criminal conviction until 2023, more than a decade after his arrest.

• Investigative reporting raised concerns about record handling and cooperation with prosecutors during the early stages of the criminal case

Robert Hadden is responsible for what he did to his patients. That responsibility has been established through federal conviction and a 20-year prison sentence.

Civil litigation in this case puts accountability on the institutions that employed, credentialed, and supervised him. When a hospital receives complaints about a provider and allows that provider to keep seeing patients, it assumes a share of the responsibility for what follows.

Columbia University and its affiliated institutions have settled civil claims for more than $1 billion. That figure reflects how courts have assessed institutional conduct in this case.

Survivors who received care at CUIMC or NewYork-Presbyterian facilities may have claims that focus on institutional conduct rather than, or in addition to, Hadden's individual actions. A case review can help you assess which institutions were involved in your care, what their role was, and what your options may be.

New York's Adult Survivors Act (ASA) created a one-year lookback window that ran from November 2022 to November 2023 and is now closed. The closing of that window does not mean every legal option has expired.

Civil claims against institutions like Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian operate under a different set of considerations than standard filing deadlines. Eligibility depends on the specific facts of each situation.

Columbia's Survivors' Settlement Fund provided an alternative process for some survivors outside of traditional litigation, though that program's deadlines have also changed.

Many survivors reach out years after their appointments, sometimes unsure whether what happened to them qualifies. The conversation starts with what you remember: approximate dates, the facility, the nature of your appointment.

No one expects you to have it all figured out before reaching out.

Civil claims against institutions in physician sexual abuse cases can seek compensation for the harm survivors have experienced. Damages pursued in these claims include:

• Medical and therapy expenses: Costs of mental health treatment, counseling, and any physical health care connected to the abuse or its long-term effects.

• Lost wages and earning capacity: Income lost due to the psychological or physical impact of the abuse, including time away from work for treatment or recovery.

• Pain and suffering: Compensation for emotional distress, trauma, anxiety, and lasting psychological harm.

• Loss of enjoyment of life: Recognition of how the abuse has affected relationships, daily functioning, and quality of life.

• Punitive damages: Available in cases where institutional conduct was particularly egregious, intended to hold institutions accountable beyond direct compensation.

The more than $1 billion in settlements paid by Columbia and its affiliates reflects both the scale of the harm and the legal system's recognition that survivors are entitled to meaningful accountability.

We advocate for survivors who were abused by Dr. Robert Hadden at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, or affiliated facilities.

When you reach out, here is what to expect:

• A private case review focused entirely on your situation;

• Guidance on which institutions were involved and what their potential liability may be;

• Help identifying what documentation and records may exist to support a claim;

• A full explanation of how recent legal developments and settlement programs may affect your eligibility; and

• No pressure, no deadlines imposed on you, and no obligation to move forward.

Help Law Group does not share what you tell us with Columbia, NewYork-Presbyterian, or anyone connected to your care.