A top Manhattan hospital has agreed to pay over $1 billion to hundreds of patients sexually abused by a disgraced pedophile urologist \u2014 admitting it failed to stop the sicko doctor, federal officials said this week.<\/p>\n
The settlement announced by the US Department of Justice Monday formally closes a criminal civil rights probe into Weill Cornell Medicine following Darius Paduch\u2019s federal conviction and life sentence<\/a> for preying on over 50 male patients \u2014 including many minors \u2014 from at least 2009-2019.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the public has seen time and again, when medical institutions fail to implement and enforce robust safeguards to protect patients from sexual abuse, victims suffer unspeakable harms, and the public trust in the doctor-patient relationship is undermined,\u201d Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement.<\/p>\n Weill Cornell Medicine will pay over $1 billion after finally admitting they failed patients abused by disgraced sicko urologist Darius Paduch, according to the Department of Justice.\u00a0 Darius Paduch \/ X<\/p>\n The hospital admitted that complaints about Paduch<\/a> had existed for years \u2014 including that he had masturbated\u00a0patients under the guise of medical exams \u2014 but that its policies at the time did not require the reports be escalated or \u201cappropriately investigated,\u201d allowing him to continue seeing patients, according to the settlement.<\/p>\n One patient in his 20s reported in 2018 that Paduch<\/a> cultivated a \u201cfather-figure\u201d relationship with him and had invited him on his boat and masturbated in front of him years earlier, the court papers state \u2014 noting that Paduch had written off $50,000 of that victim\u2019s medical bills.<\/p>\n Some of the complaints came from Weill Cornell staff, including that Paduch had once asked the husband of a hospital obstetrician to masturbate as he watched and reports of inappropriate behavior with staff, \u201csuch as exposing his backside,\u201d the document states.\u00a0<\/p>\n The hospital admitted that complaints about Paduch had existed for years, but their policies at the time failed to escalate or investigate the complaints, according to the settlement. Getty Images<\/p>\n The feds said that \u201csince learning of Paduch\u2019s sexual abuse, WCM\u00a0has paid or agreed to pay victims over $1 billion to settle civil claims to date\u201d and as such will \u201cforgo a further monetary penalty.\u201d<\/p>\n The hospital also committed to spending $30 million to create an \u201cInstitute for Safe Patient Care and Patient Empowerment\u201d to address detection and prevention of sexual abuse and misconduct by medical professionals.<\/p>\n The settlement announced Monday formally closes a criminal civil rights probe into Weill Cornell Medicine following Paduch\u2019s federal conviction and life sentence for preying on over 50 male patients. U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York<\/p>\n \u201cWeill Cornell Medicine is a safer organization today than it was when these events occurred,\u201d said Cornell University President Michael I. Kotlikoff and Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine Dr. Robert Harrington in a joint message sent to hospital staff on Monday<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cAs the US Attorney has acknowledged, we have already implemented significant reforms to enhance patient safety and prevent future misconduct.\u201d<\/p>\n