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California Court Orders Retrial for Former UCLA Gynecologist

2/3/2026

26 4 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

A California appeals court overturned James Heaps, a former University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gynecologist, and ordered a retrial.
Heaps was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexual abuse of patients.
The court found the trial judge failed to inform defense counsel about the juror's inability to deliberate.
More than 500 lawsuits were filed against Heaps and UCLA, which settled for nearly $700 million.

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Story summary

A California appeals court overturned James Heaps, a former University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gynecologist, and ordered a retrial.
Heaps was sentenced to 11 years in prison for sexual abuse of patients.
The court found the trial judge failed to inform defense counsel about the juror's inability to deliberate.
More than 500 lawsuits were filed against Heaps and UCLA, which settled for nearly $700 million.