Columbia University will pay $756 million to settle with hundreds of women sexually abused by gynecologist Robert Hadden while the prestigious institution allegedly looked the other way for decades.
Key Takeaways
- Columbia University has agreed to a $756 million settlement with 576 victims of gynecologist Robert Hadden, averaging $1.3 million per case.
- Hadden was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2023 for sexual abuse that occurred at Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian-affiliated hospitals.
- Columbia’s total payouts related to Hadden’s abuse now exceed $1 billion, including previous settlements of $277 million.
- The university has established a $100 million victims fund and launched an external investigation into the decades of abuse.
- Victims and their attorneys emphasize this settlement is about institutional accountability, not just monetary compensation.
Elite Institution Finally Held Accountable
The settlement, approved in the Manhattan Supreme Court, represents one of the largest payouts ever for institutional negligence in a sexual abuse case. For decades, Hadden used his position of trust at Columbia-affiliated medical facilities to prey on vulnerable patients while the institution allegedly ignored warnings and complaints. The settlement comes after years of legal battles and mounting evidence that university officials knew of Hadden’s behavior but failed to take appropriate action to protect patients.
“Columbia University has agreed to a record-breaking $750 million settlement with 576 victims of disgraced gynecologist Robert Hadden, who was convicted of sexually abusing patients,” said Laurie Maldonado, one of Hadden’s victims.
The settlement represents the culmination of a long struggle for justice by hundreds of women who were victimized during what should have been routine medical care. Many victims reported Hadden’s inappropriate conduct to Columbia officials over the years, but their complaints were routinely dismissed or minimized. This pattern of institutional neglect continued for nearly three decades, allowing Hadden to continue practicing medicine and abusing patients until his eventual arrest and conviction.
Victims Speak Out About Institutional Betrayal
For the victims, this settlement represents more than financial compensation – it’s an acknowledgment of the university’s failure to protect them from a predator in a white coat. The abuse took place at multiple facilities affiliated with Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where Hadden worked from the 1990s until 2012. Many victims have described not just the trauma of the abuse itself, but the additional pain of having their concerns dismissed by a powerful institution they trusted.
“Victim Laurie Maldonado stated that the settlement is about accountability, emphasizing that Columbia enabled the abuse and has now been forced to confront the truth,” said Laurie Maldonado, victim of Robert Hadden.
The settlement follows Hadden’s 2023 criminal conviction, for which he is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence. Prior to this largest settlement, Columbia had already paid out $277 million to other victims in separate legal actions, bringing the total financial cost to the university to over $1 billion. Despite the enormous financial penalty, many victim advocates argue that no amount of money can truly compensate for the trauma endured by these women and the institutional betrayal they experienced.
Columbia’s Pattern of Reputation Protection
Legal representatives for the victims have highlighted a disturbing pattern of behavior from Columbia University throughout this saga. Rather than taking swift action to investigate allegations against Hadden and protect patients, the university appears to have prioritized institutional reputation over patient safety. This lawsuit revealed internal communications suggesting university officials were aware of complaints against Hadden years before taking any substantive action to remove him from patient care.
“Attorney Anthony T. DiPietro, who has represented Hadden’s victims since 2012, noted that Columbia prioritized its reputation over patient safety for too long,” said Anthony T. DiPietro, attorney for victims.
As part of the settlement terms, Columbia has established a $100 million victims fund and launched an external investigation into how Hadden’s abuse could continue unchecked for so long. A university spokesperson expressed regret for the victims’ suffering and acknowledged the need for ongoing support for survivors. However, many critics point out that these measures come far too late for the hundreds of women who might have been spared had the university acted responsibly when the first complaints emerged decades ago.
A Warning to Elite Institutions
This landmark settlement serves as a powerful reminder that even the most prestigious institutions will ultimately be held accountable for enabling or covering up abuse. Columbia University’s reputation has been severely damaged not just by the actions of Hadden but by the institution’s apparent willingness to protect a predator at the expense of vulnerable patients. The financial penalty, while significant, pales in comparison to the human cost of allowing a sexual predator to operate under institutional protection for decades.
For many victim advocates, this settlement represents an important step toward justice, but they emphasize that true accountability requires more than financial compensation. It demands transparency about past failures, meaningful policy changes to prevent future abuse, and a fundamental shift in how institutions respond to allegations of misconduct. As this case demonstrates, the cost of protecting institutional reputation at the expense of victim safety can ultimately be measured not just in dollars, but in shattered lives and public trust.
