Hannah Smith
More than 200 women who say they were sexually abused by a gynecologist as university students are set to receive £1.2 million each in compensation.
The $243.6 million will be paid to 203 victims who say that they were targeted by Dr James Heaps while he worked at UCLA's student health centre in Los Angeles over a period spanning several decades.
Hundreds of victims came forward to say that Heaps assaulted them while performing gynecological exams. Among other things, he is accused of touching women sexually without wearing gloves, simulating intercourse with a medical probe and making sexually inappropriate comments towards his patients.
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The settlement was reached after a lawsuit alleged that university bosses enabled Heaps to carry out his abuse over the course of his more than 35-year career on the campus.
'I could never have imagined that someone would have taken such despicable advantage of me during that time. It was so traumatic that I left in tears,' said Kara Cagle, who alleges Heaps sexually assaulted her while she was being treated for a rare form of breast cancer.
Speaking to the New York Times, Cagle accused UCLA of reacting 'dismally' to allegations made against Heaps by her and others, saying, 'Today, after eight long years, I received recognition of what happened to me. Although there is some consolation in that, my heart breaks for all the women who were not spared, all the women who suffered after me because UCLA refused to act.'
UCLA launched an investigation into Heaps in 2017, with the doctor retiring a year later.
In a statement, the university said: 'The conduct alleged to have been committed by Heaps is reprehensible and contrary to the university's values.
'We express our gratitude to the brave individuals who came forward, and hope this settlement is one step toward providing healing and closure for the plaintiffs involved.'
The settlement comes a year after UCLA paid $73 million in a separate settlement with 100 other alleged victims of Heaps.
Heaps is also facing criminal charges related to sexual offences involving 21 women. He has pleaded not guilty.
The settlement comes a month after the University of Michigan paid a total of $490 million to 1,000 people who said they were sexually assaulted over a period of 40 years by Dr Robert Anderson, a sports doctor who died in 2008.
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