A Manhattan gynecologist convicted of sexually assaulting his patients during examinations was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday.
Robert A Hadden, 64, was convicted in January of abusing four patients during his tenure at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, two top New York hospitals.
Prosecutors have described Hadden as a “predator in a white coat”, saying he lured out-of-state patients to his examination room in New York in order to abuse them.
Judge Richard M Berman doled out the maximum possible prison sentence, saying in court earlier this week that Hadden’s case is “like no other in my experience in terms of horrendous, beyond extraordinary, depraved sexual assault”.
Judge Berman also sentenced Hadden to a lifetime of supervised release after he serves the 20-year sentence and imposed a $10,000 fine as well as a $400 special assessment fee.
Hadden’s conduct was described in court as “exceptional and unprecedented”, “shocking in the extreme”, “horrific” and “depraved”. Additionally, the court lambasted his “skillfulness at deception” and how he preyed on patients who trusted him, a repeated violation of a “woman’s right to decide what happens to her body”.
During the trial last month, 11 of Hadden’s victims offered harrowing testimonies of the abuse they endured under his care.
The judge noted that federal prosecutors believe Hadden abused at least 245 women during his time as a gynecologist.
The final sentencing was delayed by one day after Hadden’s attorneys asked Judge Berman on Monday to allow the disgraced ex-doctor to speak in court.
Just before the official sentence was announced on Tuesday, Hadden briefly addressed the court and apologized for his crimes, the first and only time he spoke during the trial.
Prosecutors welcomed the judge’s announcement, which marked the conclusion of a decades-long legal battle to seek justice for Hadden’s victims.
“We thank and commend the victims who bravely came forward to share their stories and ensure that their abuser faces justice,” said US attorney Damian Williams in a statement on Tuesday.
Patient reports of abuse dated back to 2012, the same year Hadden stopped working as a doctor.
He surrendered his medical license after being convicted in 2016 on sex-related charges in state court but was not sentenced to prison.
Hadden’s victims previously sued Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Hadden’s former employers. The hospitals agreed to pay more than $200m to 226 former patients across two legal settlements in 2021 and 2022.
