Robert Hadden Sexual Abuse Lawsuit | Sexual Assault Lawyer [Anthony T. DiPietro]

About the Hadden Sexual Assault Cases

With the help of Columbia University, Robert Hadden has become the most prolific serial sexual predator in New York’s history.

The sexual felon recorded over 30,000 patient visits during his tenure at Columbia and NYP Hospital.

During this time, Hadden sexually exploited and abused single women, married women, pregnant women, recent mothers, and minors—including those he had previously delivered.

Hadden routinely attempted to conceal his sexual abuse as medically necessary procedures. 

Hadden often gained his patients’ trust by sexually grooming them during their visits to Columbia’s medical clinics.

Hadden Performed Unnecessary ‘Examinations’ to Gain Access to His Patients’ Bodies

Many of the “examinations” that Hadden required were wholly medically unnecessary and performed simply to gain access to their bodies.

One such example was his insistence that women return to see him every couple of months so that he could perform PAP smears for what he cryptically referred to as “your condition.”

Countless women assumed their condition was potentially life-threatening, such as cancer or pre-cancer.

However, a review of hundreds of patient medical records has revealed that no such condition ever existed.

Instead, the only reason that Hadden was targeting these patients was so that he could digitally rape them regularly.

Hadden’s 2016 Convication and 2020 Arrest

After Hadden was convicted of committing multiple sexual assaults by the Manhattan District Attorney in 2016, he was arrested again in September 2020.

He was charged with six federal counts of “enticing and inducing patients to travel interstate” – so that he could abuse them by engaging in illegal sexual activity under the guise of medical care and treatment.

The ongoing federal criminal prosecution has grown to include even more women.

Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss has stated:

“As alleged, between 1993 and 2012, Robert Hadden sexually abused dozens of women and girls during Ob/Gyn examinations at his medical offices in Manhattan.

Hadden allegedly used the examinations of his victims for his own sexual gratification, abusing dozens of victims over a nearly 20-year period, including multiple minor girls, one of whom Hadden had himself delivered.

The allegations show that Hadden acted as a predator in a white coat.

He allegedly used the cover of conducting medical examinations to engage in sexual abuse that he passed off as normal and medically necessary when it was neither normal nor necessary – it was criminal.

I want to thank and commend the brave women who were willing to come forward to tell us what happened to them, without whom these charges could not have been brought.”

Columbia University and its Administrators Enabled & Covered Up Robert Hadden's Sexual Abuse for Decades

It is virtually impossible for one individual to single-handedly sexually exploit and abuse thousands of people.

As we’ve seen in similar cases, it takes a village—of idiots—to help conceal the sexual abuse from patients and the public at large.

Internal Reports Prove Cover-Up

Internal reports and witnesses prove that the serial sexual abuse committed by Robert Hadden was not only known to Columbia University but was covered up by several of the highest-ranking administrators within the University.

Simply put, the sexual crimes that Hadden committed were aided and abetted by two-separate Chairpeople and the University’s General Counsel.

Hadden’s ties within Columbia University reached all the way to the top.

Columbia University’s ‘Catch & Kill’ Strategy

The cover-up involving Hadden’s serial sexual abuse of women is exemplified by Columbia University’s “Catch & Kill” strategy. 

When news reports started circulating about Hadden’s abuse of patients, Columbia’s lawyers devised a plan to contain the spread.

Their plan included the referral of reports telling all employees who received reports of abuse by Hadden’s survivors to direct those women to Columbia’s legal department immediately—and not to law enforcement.

Rather than taking complaints seriously or sending relevant information to the authorities, Columbia’s lawyers would offer a hush-money settlement to those patients.

Such settlement offers included a mandate that the women sign Columbia’s non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

How New York Courts Have Ruled on NDAs

Those NDAs had the real-life effect of scaring survivors into thinking they were prevented from speaking out about the abuse they suffered in Columbia medical facilities.

However, the reality is far different.

Courts in New York have held that it is 100% against Public Policy (and illegal) to prevent a victim from reporting a crime to a lawyer or the authorities simply because the victim signed an NDA.

If you, or someone you know, has information about Colombia’s Cover-up but is afraid to speak out because of an NDA, we’re here to help.

Columbia’s attempted cover-up of Hadden’s sexual abuse over multiple decades speaks to the lengths to which institutions that harbor abusers will go to shirk their responsibilities of patient safety.

If you have information that will help us hold Columbia accountable, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at (212) 233-3600.

All consultations are 100% anonymous and free.

Columbia University and NewYork Presbyterian Hospital Knew of Robert Hadden's Sexual Abuse and Did Nothing to Stop It

Serial sexual predators rarely work alone.

Access and status provided by institutions continually enable their actions.

It’s nearly impossible for a single sexual predator to abuse hundreds of patients.

Years of analysis and countless examples prove that serial sexual predators must align themselves with permissive institutions to carry out their misconduct.

Institutions Have a Responsibility to Police Their Own

Institutions, such as Columbia University, owe a duty to patients and are required to police their own staff.

Here’s why:

If a person is assaulted on the street, they will call the police.

The police will then come, arrest, and prosecute the wrongdoer.

But experience has shown us that when a patient is assaulted in a place like a university or a hospital by a staff member, the victims will most often report the misconduct to the corporate institution where the assault happened.

The corporation literally stands in the position of policing its own employees. The conflict of interest is apparent.

Whenever we see a story emerge about a serial predator (whether it be at a university, religious institution, or other corporation), what we’re really seeing is the failure of private companies to police themselves.

Or, more directly, we’re seeing the choice that the company’s administrators have made to put corporate interests over the interests of victims and survivors.

Columbia University Killed Countless Reports of Hadden’s Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

The evidence shows that Columbia University and its affiliated clinics have killed countless reports about Hadden’s sexual exploitation and abuse throughout his career.

What’s worse is that medical personnel are mandated reporters under New York laws.

In other words, all medical personnel licensed in New York must report acts of professional misconduct to the authorities under N.Y. Social Services Law § 491.

Despite receiving repeated complaints about Hadden’s sexual abuse of patients, Columbia administrators not only allowed Robert Hadden to continue seeing women, but they also allowed him to do it in a wholly unsupervised manner.

The American Medical Association requires the implementation of written policies regarding the availability of chaperones at all medical facilities that provide gynecological services.

By allowing Hadden, a known sexual predator, to see patients in a manner that was completely unsupervised, Columbia University acted recklessly and must be held accountable for the harm they have caused.

Institutional Enablement is the Problem — the Robert Haddens of the World Are Merely A Symptom

While the Robert Haddens of the world are clearly deranged, they are not the problem—they’re merely a symptom. 

As we have seen with far too many other institutions, the real “problem” that exists in cases of serial sexual exploitation and abuse is the institutional actors who enable the abuse by:

• Gaslighting victims;
• Failing to report the abuse to the authorities; and
• Taking various other calculated steps to cover-up abuse when it occurs.

We will continue to encourage state and federal prosecutors to use the laws available to them, including RICO charges, to bring these institutions to justice for conspiring to cover the tracks of their sexual predator employees.

Columbia is Refusing to Notify Thousands of Women of Hadden’s Felony Conviction for Sexual Abuse

In 2013, Columbia University tried to gaslight women by sending out a bogus “Dear Patient” letter to all of their patients who they exposed to Hadden’s abuse.

Instead of telling patients that Hadden had been arrested for making oral contact with a patient during a bogus pelvic exam, the letter implied that Hadden had chosen to close his practice (as if it was his decision).

The letter further insinuated how grateful these patients should be to Columbia because the University would try to offer these women the opportunity to continue care with another of Hadden’s “excellent partners.”

Unbeknownst to patients but well known to the OBGYN Chairperson who wrote the letter, Hadden was under an active criminal investigation for licking a patient—which was just the latest sexual assault Hadden had committed in his long career of sexual assaults.

One week after Columbia mailed the letter, Hadden was indicted for the felony assault of multiple patients.

He was then convicted in 2016.

When Hadden was convicted in 2016, the New York State Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC) issued an order mandating that all of Hadden’s patients be informed that Hadden had lost his medical license.

To this day, Columbia University has refused to notify an estimated 6,000-8,000 women who were exposed to Robert Hadden that he lost his license because he repeatedly sexually assaulted and abused patients at Columbia University and its related medical clinics.

Even though Columbia has all patient information and the proven ability to send out letters to their patients, the University claims that “a loophole in the law” makes it Hadden’s responsibility to notify patients, not their responsibility.

Learn more about Columbia’s enabling and cover-up of Robert Hadden’s sexual abuse and their refusal to act in the interest of their patient here.

Contact Us Anonymously if You are a Survivor or Whistleblower of Robert Hadden's Sexual Abuse

For the past decade, our Founder Anthony T. DiPietro, Esq., has been suing Columbia University to hold them accountable for covering up decades of Robert Hadden’s sexual exploitation and abuse.

From the early years, Mr. DiPietro made a conscious and deliberate decision to put his clients’ comfort level first.

While you have likely read the stories of several survivors who have gone public to hold Columbia accountable, there are also hundreds of other women, girls, and men, who Mr. DiPietro has represented that you haven’t read about.

The reasons for this are quite simple: 

1. Mr. DiPietro understands the complex emotions and challenges that victims and survivors wrestle with when deciding to come forward. As a result, he has committed to doing everything possible to protect and support his clients throughout this process.
2. The laws in New York State allow victims and survivors of sexual abuse to file their claims anonymously—thus protecting their identities and private lives while they’re seeking to hold Columbia and Hadden accountable.

If you or a loved one suffered sexual abuse by Robert Hadden, you are eligible to file a legal claim anonymously.

In addition, those who witnessed Hadden’s abuse are encouraged to share their stories or reports about what they’ve seen or heard.

If you decide to contact us regarding Robert Hadden’s sexual abuse, confidentiality is 100% GUARANTEED.

We understand the pain you’re going through, and our staff is sensitive to your needs as a victim or whistleblower.

The DiPietro Law Firm has:

• Recovered $236 million against Columbia University and Robert Hadden
• Forced Columbia University to enact policies to increase patient safety
• Helped pass 2 different laws that provide new victims and survivors with a path to justice – including the Adult Survivors Act and the Gender Motivated Violence Act