Royce Hall on the campus of University of California, Los Angeles. Photo: Shutterstock

Yet another university legal department is caught up in dealing with a sexual abuse scandal, as a former staff gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles for 27 years has been charged with sexual battery and exploitation involving two patients.

UCLA is the latest example of campus doctors being accused of sex crimes, and the consequences have included internal investigations, lawsuits and multimillion-dollar legal fees at other schools. The scandals have also cost some general counsel their jobs.

Neither University of California systemwide general counsel Charles Robinson nor managing campus counsel Amy Blum returned messages seeking comment about the latest incident.

UCLA chancellor Gene Block and vice chancellor John Mazziotta issued a statement Monday saying Dr. James Heaps was charged and surrendered to law enforcement. He was released on $70,000 bond.

Neither Heaps nor his Los Angeles attorney, Tracy Green of Green & Associates, could be reached for comment Tuesday.

The UCLA statement said, “Dr. Heaps was an obstetrician-gynecologist who worked on a part-time basis at the UCLA student health center from approximately 1983 to 2010, was hired by UCLA Health in 2014 and held medical staff privileges at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center from 1988 to 2018.”

It said the school first received a complaint against Heaps in 2017, and the university investigated it. When other complaints came in, the statement said Heaps was placed on leave in June 2018 and was told he would not be reappointed. Heaps was allowed to retire. UCLA said it reported the complaints to the Medical Board of California and law enforcement, but made no public announcement at the time.

The statement said in March the school initiated an independent review of its response to sexual misconduct in clinical settings. “The review is examining UCLA's response to such conduct and whether our policies and procedures to prevent, identify and address sexual misconduct are consistent with best practices,” the school said.

The university created a website that is soliciting information from “any patients with concerns about the care they received from Dr. Heaps,” and is offering resources to patients who need them.

Three other universities that have undergone upheaval over doctors' alleged sexual abuse are:

• University of Southern California: Also marred by the college admissions scandal, the school ousted its top legal officer, Carol Mauch Amir, in April after hundreds of police complaints were lodged against former gynecologist George Tyndall for sexual misconduct. Over 300 women have filed suits over their treatment in both state and federal courts in California.

On June 13 a federal judge gave preliminary approval to the USC settlement with Tyndall's victims. The deal creates a $215 million settlement fund. Tyndall has not been criminally charged and has denied the allegations.

• Ohio State University: Former sports doctor Richard Strauss, who practiced nearly two decades at the school, is accused of sexually abusing 177 male student athletes. The school released a report on Its internal investigation in May. The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into how the school handled student complaints and whether it complied with federal law. In addition, three groups of plaintiffs have sued the university in federal court. Strauss committed suicide in 2005.

• Michigan State University: Two general counsel and one acting general counsel lost their jobs at Michigan during the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal and its emotional aftermath. The school is still searching for a new one. Nassar, a sports doctor, was convicted to a lifetime in prison, and the school reached a $500 million settlement with 332 of his victims last year.