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‘Predator In A White Coat’: Ex-NYC Gynecologist Convicted In Federal Court Of Sexually Abusing Patients
Robert Hadden, 64, abused patients from 1993 to at least 2012, federal prosecutors said.
A former New York City obstetrician now faces decades behind bars after he was found guilty of sexually abusing multiple patients in his care this week.
Robert Hadden, 64, was convicted by a jury in a federal New York courtroom on Tuesday, for molesting hundreds of patients between 1993 and at least 2012. The incidents occurred during Hadden’s time at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
“For years, [Hadden] cruelly lured women who sought professional medical care to his offices in order to gratify himself,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement, the Associated Press reported. “Hadden’s victims trusted him as a physician, only to instead become victims of his heinous predilection.”
Williams described Hadden as a “predator in a white coat,” according to CNN. He also thanked the “brave women” who had been victimized by the doctor and whose testimony was instrumental in securing a conviction.
Following the verdict, a number of Hadden’s victims celebrated outside the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday. Notably, one of those women was Evelyn Wang, whose husband, Andrew Yang, ran for both president and mayor of New York City in 2020 and 2022, respectively.
“This is such a victory for all of us,” Evelyn Yang said following the court’s ruling, per the Associated Press.
Evelyn Wang had accused Hadden of molesting her several years ago while she was seven months pregnant.
“It’s also validating,” Evelyn Wang added. “The jury came back with their verdict so quickly. And he was found guilty on all counts. That just, I think, leaves no doubt in anyone’s mind that he was a serial predator who deserves to be imprisoned.”
Hadden previously pleaded guilty in New York state court in 2016 to sexual abuse charges related to a handful of alleged victims. His medical license was revoked by Manhattan prosecutors, however, Hadden avoided jail time in the case.
“People are mystified,” Judge Richard Berman told the court, referring to Hadden’s past avoidance of any prison time. “There is a feeling that somehow or another he skirts the process.”
Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital have since paid out a whopping $236 million to more than 200 past patients of Hadden, who were allegedly victimized by the obstetrician, in an effort to settle a series of civil claims they’d brought forward.
At trial, eight former victims of Hadden testified against him.
“This conviction helps a lot,” said a one former patient who had seen Hadden for nearly two decades, per the Associated Press.
Another woman referred to Hadden as a “sociopath who needs to be behind bars as soon as possible.”
“The pain that happened that day was more painful than childbirth,” she said in a court statement.
Hadden’s sentencing has been scheduled for April 25. The disgraced doctor is facing several decades behind bars. He’s currently under electronic monitoring after posting a $1 million bail.
