The University of Columbia has agreed a $ 750 million agreement with 576 patients from a former doctor who abused them while working at school.
In 2023, an investigation of Propublic, published with New York magazine, revealed how Columbia had ignored women, undermined prosecutors and finally protected a predator. Obstetrician-Ginecologist Robert had worked at the university for 20 years despite decades of complaints about him.
The university had briefly cleared to see patients three days after being arrested when a patient called 911 to inform that a postpartum exam had attacked their time. The university superiors had been informed of the sentence, but allowed to continue working for another five weeks. Patients who saw that time also reported to have been attacked.
The last agreement, combined with payments of previous cases, means that Columbia will have paid more than $ 1 billion to resolve claims of sexual abuse. Columbia also said that he has now resolved more than 1,000 claims of sexual abuse by ancient patients.
He had been convicted of sexual crimes in a federal court in January 2023 and now fulfills a 20 -year prison sentence.
Laurie Kanyok, the patient who called 911, said the agreement is bittersweet. “It’s emotional because they are the leg 13 years,” he told Propublic.
He also said that financial compensation is not equivalent to justice.
“I am grateful to be involved in this,” Kanyok said. “At the same time, I feel that I want to see People Hero responsible and not only the insurance company or the check of anyone.”
Unlike other high profile cases that involve sexual abuse by doctors, no Columbia administrator has triggered or resigned as a result of the case.
In a statement, Columbia acknowledged that he did not protect patients. “We deeply regret the pain that their patients suffered, and this agreement is another step forward in our continuous work and commitment to repair the survivors of damage and support,” the statement said. “We praise the survivors for their courage when they present themselves.”
The last agreement puts Columbia along with the highest payment of a university to resolve sexual abuse claims. In 2021, the University of Southern California agreed to pay $ 1.1 billion to survivors or George Tyndall, a university gynecologist who abused thousands of women.
Anthony Dipietro, the lawyer who handled most of Columbia’s claims, said that this week’s agreement is clear: institutions “cannot continue to cover sexual exploitation and abuse of Byir’s doctors because they go.” “
Week after Propublicic research, Columbia announced that it would establish a $ 100 million settlement fund for patients who did not want to submit civil lawsuits. The survivors have approximately another week, until May 15, to file a claim.
As part of the same announcement, Columbia also said that he would notify everyone who had almost 6,500 former patients from the doctor’s crimes and that he would order an external investigation to examine the failures that allowed the abuse to be long.
When asked about the status of that research, which was announced a year and a half ago, the university said it is ongoing. Columbia did not give a time frame for complete reports.
