Institutional Failures and Accountability: What the Columbia University Investigation Reveals About Dr. Robert Hadden and Sexual Assault of Hundreds of Patients
A recently released report from Columbia University reveals decades of abuse at New York Presbyterian along with systemic oversight failures and problems in hospital reporting procedures.
On March 10, 2026 Columbia University released an investigative report examining the decades-long sexual assault and abuse allegedly committed by former OB-GYN and convicted sex-offender, Dr. Robert Hadden. The report exposes institutional and systemic failures that allowed a physician to allegedly sexually assault hundreds of patients while working at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
The 156-page report, commissioned by Columbia University and conducted by investigators from Sidley Austin LLP, examines how institutional practices and decision-making failures enabled Dr. Hadden’s misconduct to continue for years. The findings highlight serious breakdowns in oversight, reporting systems, and institutional accountability. Survivors and advocates say that a completely independent investigation should be conducted by an entity that is not being paid by Columbia. They also demand that Columbia, the hospital, and responsible individuals be held accountable.
A Pattern of Abuse that Spanned Decades
According to the report, Dr. Hadden sexually assaulted more than 500 patients during their medical appointments at New York Presbyterian Hospital over roughly 25 years. Survivors reported being abused during routine examinations, often when they were in vulnerable positions and trusting their physician to provide care.
Dr. Hadden was first arrested in 2012 on sexual assault charges. But the report indicates that he continued to see patients approximately five weeks after his arrest. During that time, at least eight additional patients reported being sexually assaulted. Since 2023, when Dr. Hadden was convicted in federal court and sentenced to 20 years in prison, Columbia University agreed to pay more than $1 billion in settlements for civil claims brought by survivors.
Report Identifies Key Institutional Failures
The investigation identified three primary institutional breakdowns that allowed the abuse to continue—ineffective chaperone policies, barriers to reporting misconduct, and compliance failures.
- Dr. Hadden was allowed to see patients alone. In Dr. Hadden’s earlier years at the hospital, medical chaperones were not required; however, in 2007 a policy requiring chaperones was introduced. But the chaperone policy was not enforced at the hospitals. Additionally, staff members who served as chaperones were not adequately trained, and were therefore not able to identify or report inappropriate misconduct. The report also cited that many chaperones were discouraged from raising concerns out fear of retaliation.
- Both Columbia and the hospital lacked a clear reporting procedure. Both patients and staff faced significant obstacles in reporting, or attempting to report, the misconduct. Columbia and New York-Presbyterian lacked a centralized complaint-reporting system between them, and records related to earlier complaints were scattered across departments or documented in ways that minimized or skewed their seriousness and significance. Along with an ineffective reporting system, many described that they were reluctant to raise concerns about Dr. Hadden given his strong reputation and position of authority in the institutions.
- Even when allegations were reported to leadership, the institutions failed to respond effectively. Complaints were often handled informally and were rarely recorded in Dr. Hadden’s personnel file. As a result, when administrators reviewed his employment record following his 2012 arrest, they incorrectly believed he had no prior complaints—allowing him to continue practicing temporarily.
Leadership Accountability and Fall-Out After Report Release
Following the report’s release, two senior leaders involved in earlier decisions regarding Hadden’s employment announced plans to leave their positions—Dr. Mary D’Alton, who chaired the obstetrics and gynecology department at the time Dr. Hadden returned to work after his arrest, and Dr. Lee Goldman, former dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and chief executive of the medical center.
New York Attorney General Letitia James is continuing to investigate how Columbia and New York-Presbyterian handled allegations against Dr. Hadden following his 2012 arrest. Earlier reporting has suggested that institutional recordkeeping gaps played a role in allowing Dr. Hadden to continue treating patients even after serious allegations had surfaced.
The abuse allegations against Dr. Hadden have become one of the largest physician sexual abuse scandals in the U.S. It has renewed discussions regarding medical oversight, patient safety protocols, and the responsibility of healthcare institutions to respond quickly and transparently to allegations or complaints of abuse.
Grant & Eisenhofer is investigating these instances of sexual assault and abuse by Dr. Hadden at New York Presbyterian and supports survivors through legal advocacy. Grant & Eisenhofer’s Criminal/Sexual Violence practice group represents survivors of sexual violence against powerful institutions across the country.
