A California appeals court has overturned the conviction of Dr. James Heaps, a former gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), on sex abuse charges. The court has ordered a new trial in the case.
The ruling from the 2nd District Court of Appeal came after it was discovered that the trial judge had failed to inform Heaps’ defense team about a note from the jury foreman. The note raised concerns about one juror’s ability to understand English well enough to participate in the deliberations.
Leonard Levine, Heaps’ attorney, expressed relief that the issue was brought to light. He stated that without the discovery of the note, a “miscarriage of justice” would have occurred.
Heaps was originally sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2023 after being convicted of sexually abusing female patients. He was accused of assaulting hundreds of patients during his 35-year career. UCLA made payments totaling nearly $700 million to settle lawsuits related to the allegations.
In the initial trial, Heaps pleaded not guilty to 21 felony counts related to the sexual assaults of seven women between 2009 and 2018. He was convicted on some charges but acquitted on others, with the jury deadlocked on the remaining counts.
The appeals court stated that the failure to disclose the juror issue was a critical error that violated Heaps’ right to counsel. While acknowledging the burden of a retrial, the court emphasized the importance of upholding constitutional rights.
Prosecutors have announced their intention to retry Heaps as soon as possible. The case raises important questions about the fairness of the judicial process and the rights of the accused.
