California Court Overturns Conviction of Former UCLA Gynecologist
The conviction of Dr. James Heaps, a former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, has been overturned by a California appeals court, which has ordered a retrial. The decision was made by a three-judge panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal, citing a failure to provide a fair trial due to concerns about a juror’s language proficiency.
The issue arose from a note by the trial’s foreman highlighting doubts about one juror’s English skills, which was not disclosed to Heaps’ defense team at the time. This information came to light only years later during an appeal process, according to Heaps’ attorney, Leonard Levine. Levine expressed relief that the oversight was identified, stating, “If the attorney had not seen it, it still would have remained a secret, which is very unfortunate since it would have been a miscarriage of justice, but thankfully it’s been corrected.”
Dr. Heaps was sentenced in 2023 to 11 years in prison following his conviction for sexually abusing female patients. Heaps has maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to 21 felony counts related to sexual assaults on seven women from 2009 to 2018. In October 2022, he was found guilty on five counts, including three counts of sexual battery by fraud. However, the jury acquitted him on seven counts and was unable to reach a verdict on the remaining charges.
The appellate court’s 31-page ruling emphasized the immediacy of concerns regarding Juror No. 15’s ability to communicate in English, which were raised shortly after they were seated as a substitute. The decision to order a retrial was deemed necessary by the panel, acknowledging the challenges this poses to the trial court and witnesses, but underscoring the constitutional right to adequate counsel.
Prosecutors have 30 days to appeal the appellate court’s decision, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has already indicated plans to retry the case promptly. The panel’s ruling stated, “We recognize the burden on the trial court and regrettably, on the witnesses, in requiring retrial of a case involving multiple victims and delving into the conduct of intimate medical examinations. The importance of the constitutional right to counsel at critical junctures in a criminal trial gives us no other choice.”
Dr. Heaps faced allegations involving the sexual assault of numerous patients over his 35-year career at UCLA, leading to nearly $700 million in settlements related to the lawsuits — a significant financial impact for the public university.
