Former gynecologist at Columbia University who sexually molested patients convicted of sex trafficking

(The AEGIS Alliance) – A 64-year-old ex-gynecologist named Robert Hadden who’d been accused of sexually assaulting dozens of patients, including minors, over a period of nearly 20 years was recently found guilty of sex trafficking. The indictment alleged that from 1993 to 2012, Hadden lured victims to his medical offices in New York, with the intent of subjecting them to illegal sexual abuse.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said that Robert Hadden, a former employee of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, had deceitfully enticed women who were seeking professional medical treatment to visit his offices for his own sexual gratification. Williams added that these patients had trusted Hadden as a doctor, but instead became victims of his reprehensible behavior.

The indictment indicates that Robert Hadden convinced his patients that the sexual abuse he was committing was “appropriate and medically necessary.” He would often schedule follow-up appointments with his victims, which allowed him to continue molesting some of them over an extended period of time. Additionally, Hadden is accused of sending nurses and assistants out of the examination room so that he could be alone with his victims and then proceed to abuse them.

The indictment states that Robert Hadden tried to build a relationship with his victims by inquiring about their personal lives and sharing information about himself and his family. He would then allegedly bring up inappropriate and sexual topics, and ask his patients about their own sexual experiences. The indictment also claims that Hadden voluntarily gave advice to some of his patients on how to groom their pubic hair and how to achieve orgasm.

The indictment notes that Robert Hadden would sometimes make comments about the physical appearance of his victims. He would then use the relationship he had established, supposedly under the guise of providing medical advice and/or medical care, to commit sexual abuse. Examples of this abuse include performing inappropriate breast exams, touching and fondling their breasts, and pinching and twisting their nipples.

The indictment reveals that Robert Hadden would perform unnecessary “mole checks” on his patients, during which he would examine them while they were undressed and touch them inappropriately. He would also allegedly perform pelvic exams that were not medically required. Many of his victims, as per the indictment, were young and had little prior experience with gynecological appointments.

According to a statement obtained by CBS News, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jane Kim stated, “He pretended to be a doctor who took the oath to ‘do no harm’ and then proceeded to violate that oath and harm his patients.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced that in September 2020, Robert Hadden was charged with six counts of inducing and encouraging individuals to travel across state lines for the purpose of engaging in illegal sexual activity. On Tuesday, January 24th, Hadden was found guilty of federal sex trafficking charges, as reported by CBS News.

According to reports, Columbia University has reached settlement agreements with over 200 of Robert Hadden’s former patients and paid out more than $230 million as a result.

CBS News revealed that Evelyn Yang, the wife of former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, was one of Robert Hadden’s former patients and spoke out about the abuse she suffered. Yang alleges that Hadden molested her in 2012 when she was seven months pregnant.

In a statement obtained by CBS News, Columbia University expressed remorse for the harm caused to Robert Hadden’s patients and expressed hope that the settlements would provide some form of support for the women he harmed. The statement also praised the courage of those who came forward with their stories.

Jeffrey Childers – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.