Manhattan’s district attorney was held in contempt by a state court for refusing to turn over plea deal documents with a doctor who was later convicted as a sexual predator.
DA Alvin Bragg’s office must now comply with the subpoena to produce documents related to 2014 criminal action against perv Dr. Robert Hadden, Judge Richard G. Latin ruled last month.
Attorney Anthony DiPietro, who is representing hundreds of Hadden’s victims in the civil suit, is also seeking the DA’s communications with Hadden’s longtime employer, Columbia University, in relation to Hadden’s 2016 no-jail plea deal with Bragg’s predecessor, former DA Cyrus Vance Jr.
The deal was struck despite Hadden admitting to sexually abusing six female patients during his long tenure as a gynecologist at the university.
As part of the deal, the DA agreed not to prosecute him for any similar crimes that happened before Feb. 22 2016, The Post reported at the time.
Federal prosecutors also noticed what they called a “deliberate” attempt to hide documents related to the deal during their own trial in 2020.
“They should be prosecuting Columbia [University], not protecting them,” said DiPietro, who said he’s already resolved cases, winning more than $250 million for over 230 clients.
The DA’s office could face a slew of penalties if it blows past a fast-approaching deadline.
The current case, filed in 2022 in Manhattan Supreme Court, includes nearly 550 clients, and DiPietro estimates the liability could top an eye-watering $1 billion due to Hadden’s sexual abuse and, what he says is a Columbia coverup.
Hadden was convicted by federal prosecutors of sex trafficking in 2023 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Victims recounted that the sick doctor would make oral and other sexual contact with them during what were supposed to be routine medical appointments.
DiPietro said he’s seeking these documents relating to the DA’s criminal case and plea deal because it could undercut the claim he says Columbia has made from the beginning — that they had no idea Hadden was routinely sexually abusing his patients.
“I grew up understanding that covering up a crime is a separate crime itself,” he told The Post. “And now it seems like the district attorney is helping Columbia hide those documents, and we want the documents.”
Documents related to the sweetheart plea deal — which only forced Hadden to forfeit his medical license and register as a level one sex offender — could help establish what Columbia knew and when they knew it, the attorney said.
“If the lawyers at the District Attorney’s office — the prosecutors — are worth their salt, they’re gonna get this information before they offer any plea deal,” DiPietro said.
In court filings, the DA’s office argues against complying with the multiple subpoenas, claiming technical issues and that the documents are protected as both privileged work-products and grand jury materials.
Columbia officials declined to comment on pending litigation.
A spokesperson for the DA said the office has concerns over the confidentiality of victims and that its reason for withholding documents will be based on the law.
Earlier this year, a judge agreed with DiPietro that Columbia was sending “catch and kill” letters to Hadden’s victims — forcing them to sign non-disclosure agreements in order to claim part of their “woefully inadequate” $100 million survivors fund.
The judge hit the university with a restraining order, forbidding them to contact any of the survivors going forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.