$71M fund set up for victims of NY doctor charged with abuse

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital have announced a settlement with 79 women who say they were sexually abused by former gynecologist Robert Hadden. The two hospitals said Wednesday the agreement establishes a $71.5 million compensation fund to be administered by an independent special master. Hadden was indicted in September 2020 on federal criminal charges of bringing women across state lines for the purpose of sexual abuse over nearly two decades. At the time of the indictment, the acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan said Hadden “inappropriately touched, squeezed and even licked his victims” while purportedly conducting medical examinations.