Authorities and survivors hailed the plea as a significant milestone, emphasizing accountability and justice, even as prior defense hopes for exoneration had been raised.

John Manly, who represented hundreds of Heaps’ former patients, said the plea and sentence send a clear message about consequences for violating patients’ rights and dignity.

UCLA settled hundreds of lawsuits related to Heaps for nearly $700 million, the largest settlement by a public university in a wave of campus-doctor misconduct cases.

More than 500 lawsuits alleged cover-ups and negligence, with the restitution hearing scheduled for September to review legal-fee recovery.

The appeals court found the previous trial unfair because a juror-language note from the foreman was not shared with Heaps’ attorneys, affecting fairness.

The panel faulted the trial judge for not informing defense counsel about the juror-language concern and for untranscribed conversations between the judicial assistant and jurors, violating the right to counsel at a critical trial stage.

A former UCLA gynecologist, James Heaps, pled guilty to 13 felonies after an appeals court overturned his initial conviction for sexual abuse, and he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Heaps had previously been convicted in 2023 on five counts of sexual battery and penetration tied to two patients; an appeals court reversed that verdict in February over concerns about jury foreman notes and fairness.

The guilty plea covers six counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person, five counts of sexual battery by fraud, and two counts of sexual exploitation of a patient, totaling thirteen felonies.

The case underscores long-standing concerns about patient safety and accountability in academic medical centers and the broader implications for university oversight and settlements.

UCLA acknowledged the reprehensible conduct and the settlement as a step toward healing for the plaintiffs, while signaling ongoing efforts to address the harm.

Heaps’ attorney declined to comment immediately on the guilty plea.