A disgraced UCLA gynecologist is heading back to prison after admitting to sexually abusing patients, closing a yearslong legal saga that drew accusations from hundreds of women.
James Mason Heaps, 69, pleaded guilty Tuesday to 13 felony counts involving five victims, including sexual penetration of an unconscious person, sexual battery by fraud and sexual exploitation of a patient, prosecutors said.
“Today marks the second time that we’re holding James Heaps responsible for the unconscionable crimes he committed while being entrusted with the safety of his patients,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in a news release.
“For years, Heaps exploited the sacred trust between a doctor and patient to prey on vulnerable victims during medical procedures. To all survivors, please know that we believe you and we will fight for you.”
The plea deal allowed Heaps to avoid a retrial after an appeals court in February tossed his earlier conviction over jury misconduct issues, sparring victims from having to testify again.
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He was immediately sentenced to 11 years in prison by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo, the same term he had already been serving before the conviction was overturned.
Outside of court, one of Heaps’ former patients described a mix of pain and closure as the case finally ended.
“While no sentence can restore what was taken from me or from any survivor, this matters,” Nicole Gumeert told KTLA. “It matters because we showed up, we reported, we refused to be silent.”
The charges Heaps admitted to represent just a fraction of the allegations against him. Authorities say hundreds of former patients have accused the longtime doctor of misconduct during his decades at UCLA.
Attorney John Manly, who represents more than 100 accusers, said the resolution left many clients conflicted.
“Nevertheless, he pleaded guilty and it vindicates what our clients are saying,” Manly said, calling the outcome “bittersweet” as some had hoped for a longer sentence.
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Heaps’ originial 2022 conviction had been undone after an appellate panel found the trial judge failed to properly handle concerns about a juror’s English proficiency and did not inform attorneys about a key jury note, errors that led to a retrial order.
Rather fight the case again, Heaps took the plea.
His attorney, Vicki I. Podberesky, declined to comment on the admission of guilt but said he could serve about half the sentence with good-time credits before being released on parole.
Once a high-profile gynecologic oncologist who treated thousands of patients over nearly 35 years, Heaps surrendered his medical license in 2023 and had been barred from practicing since 2019.
The scandal has cost UCLA roughly $700 million in settlements tied to lawsuits accusing the school of ignoring or concealing abuse claims while allowing Heaps continued access to patients, many of them vulnerable women undergoing cancer treatment, according to the Los Angeles Times.
More than 500 lawsuits have been filed, marking one of the largest sexual misconduct cases involving a university physician in US history.
