In this Aug. 3, 2020, file photo, former UCLA Gynecologist Dr. James Heaps, center, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court listening as Deputy DA Morgan Mallory, right, addresses the Judge.
Jurors announced they've reached a verdict Thursday in the trial of a former campus gynecologist affiliated with UCLA who was indicted on nearly two dozen sexual misconduct counts involving seven patients.
Heaps faced 21 felony counts of sexual abuse in the criminal case.
He was found guilty on five counts, and not guilty of seven.
He was found guilty of three counts of sexual battery, and two counts of sexual penetration. He was found not guilty of several other counts of sexual battery and penetration, and not guilty of sexual exploitation.
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The jury was hung on the remaining counts.
James Heaps served as a gynecologist/oncologist, affiliated with UCLA, for nearly 35 years. At various times during those three decades, he saw patients at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and at his office at 100 Medical Plaza.
More than 500 lawsuits were filed against Heaps and UCLA, accusing the school of failing to protect patients after becoming aware of the misconduct.
UCLA ended Heaps' employment and notified law enforcement of the allegations against him on June 14, 2018. He was arrested an charged in June 2019, and more women came forward to report allegations of sexual misconduct.
More than 500 lawsuits were filed against Heaps and UCLA, accusing the school of failing to protect patients after becoming aware of the misconduct.
The lawsuits alleged that UCLA actively and deliberately concealed Heaps' sexual abuse of patients. UCLA continued to allow Heaps to have unfettered sexual access to female patients -- many of whom were cancer patients — at the university, plaintiffs' attorneys alleged in the suits.
UCLA issued a statement in May after a lawsuit settlement was reached, saying, "This agreement, combined with earlier settlements involving other plaintiffs, resolves the vast majority of the claims alleging sexual misconduct by James Heaps, a former UCLA Health physician. The conduct alleged to have been committed by Heaps is reprehensible and contrary to our values. We are grateful to all those who came forward, and hope this settlement is one step toward providing some level of healing for the plaintiffs involved.
"We are dedicated to providing the highest quality care that respects the dignity of every patient. We are taking all necessary steps to ensure our patients' well-being in order to maintain the public's confidence and trust.''
The university outlined a series of measures undertaken to bolster student and patient safety.
