Columbia University and NYP Hospital Play “Catch & Kill” with Sexual Assault Survivors — this is why NDAs should be ILLEGAL

Over the course of 30 years

Over the course of the past 30 years, Robert Hadden has gone on to become the most prolific serial sexual predator in the history of New York.

But Hadden didn’t, and couldn’t, sexually exploit and abuse so many women and young girls on his own.

Hadden needed, and received, the full support and protection of Columbia University and The New York-Presbyterian Hospital who conspired with Hadden every step of the way.

Columbia University’s Officials Created a Scheme to Help Cover Up the Extent of Hadden’s Sexual Exploitation & Abuse from Patients and the Public

Amazingly, despite Robert Hadden’s 2016 felony conviction for sexually abusing OB/GYN patients, Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital have continued to cover up the nature and full extent of the abuse that was committed by Hadden.

As of July 2020, Columbia and NYPH have still not informed patients of Hadden’s known, serial misconduct, and felony conviction.

Our office has now discovered that Columbia University’s lawyers have gone so far as to create a secret “backdoor” in their legal department to “catch and kill” reports about Robert Hadden’s serial, office-based, sexual abuse.

Columbia’s “catch and kill” scheme has been conceived and implemented in order to suppress reports of Hadden’s abuse, while trying to insulate the University from both criminal and civil liability for the role it has played in aiding and abetting decades of Robert Hadden’s criminal misconduct.

Here’s How Columbia University’s “Catch & Kill” Scheme Works

As the number of patients complaining about Robert Hadden’s sexual abuse grew, the lawyers in Columbia’s legal department instructed the University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital medical staff to refer all patients making such complaints directly to Columbia’s legal department.

Some women were even given the name and number of a particular lawyer in Columbia General Counsel’s office to call.

Then, when a patient calls to file a report with Columbia’s lawyers about Hadden’s abuse — instead of documenting the complaint and reporting Hadden to criminal prosecutors — Columbia’s lawyers invite the patient to participate in Columbia’s backdoor “catch and kill” settlement scheme.

Columbia’s actions have been designed exclusively to protect Columbia, and all their enablers, who have allowed Hadden to get away with sexually abusing a countless number of patients for so long.

Despite the fact that many patients were simply calling to report Hadden’s abuse — and stop him from abusing other women — Columbia’s lawyers would feign compassion, only to then make a small settlement offer for what the patients have endured.

However, the “deal” that’s offered by Columbia’s lawyers mandates that each woman sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (“NDA”) which seeks to prevent the survivor or victim from telling anyone else about Hadden’s abuse.

An NDA is a legal contract that wealthy corporations and individuals use to try and prevent others from discussing an event covered by the agreement.

What our office has also discovered is that Columbia and New York-Presbyterian capos have trained, and directed, their medical staff and associates to help them “catch” all the patients who come forward to report on Hadden’s sexual abuse.

One of the witnesses I’ve spoken to has informed me that after reporting to a Columbia doctor what Hadden did to her on a previous office visit.

She was literally handed a post-it note by the physician (which contained the name and number of a Columbia lawyer) and told:

“We’ve been instructed to have everyone like you call Columbia’s lawyers”.

These shady practices have allowed Columbia’s fixers in the General Counsel’s Office to “kill” as many stories of Hadden’s sexual abuse as possible.

The conduct of Columbia University, the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and their legal department, is even more outrageous when one understands that many of these women were overreached because they were not represented by their own attorneys.

So, instead of supporting women — and getting rid of a known serial sexual predator — Columbia University, The New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and their fixers, have been ruthlessly taking advantage of survivors and victims in a concerted effort to hide the full extent of Hadden’s serial sexual abuse from other patients, criminal prosecutors, and the public, for the last 30 years.

Reporting Criminal Activity is Always an Exception to NDAs

If you were overreached by Columbia and its lawyers, here’s what you should know.

Most people who sign an NDA are worried that they will get sued for breach of contract if they talk about what happened to them.

This is precisely what institutions like Columbia want people to believe.

But in many instances, it’s simply not true.

There are many exceptions that allow people to speak out about things, even if it’s the precise event covered in the NDA.

Below are a few examples that will help explain why NDAs do not prohibit people from talking about their abuse in many common situations.

Regardless of what an NDA says, you should be aware that it is illegal for a place like Columbia Univerisity (or anyplace else), to try and prevent a crime victim — or a witness to a crime — from reporting the crime to the police or a District Attorney’s Office.

Anyone who tries to “buy the silence” of someone who has experienced, or witnessed, a crime has essentially committed a crime themself — it’s called “obstruction of justice” or “witness tampering”.

This is simply not allowed.

Further, it’s against the law for a perpetrator, or its lawyers, to try and prevent someone from “providing testimony” in any lawsuit — even a lawsuit that doesn’t affect them personally — simply because the proposed witness may have signed an NDA.

Finally, everyone has the right to consult with an attorney of their own choosing to obtain legal advice about what may, or may not, be allowed under an NDA.

Seeking legal advice is always allowed as an exception to what’s written in an NDA, regardless of what the document says.

Unfortunately, people who aren’t represented by an attorney are often unaware of how NDAs really work.

Sometimes clauses that are put in NDAs are both illegal, and unenforceable.

But most people don’t know this — and you can be certain that Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital aren’t going to tell anyone about it.

You’re Not Alone

Your story is important, and your voice matters.

You deserve to be heard, and we’re here fighting for survivors and victims of Columbia’s outrageous enabling and reckless conduct.

If you are a survivor of Robert Hadden’s sexual exploitation or abuse, someone who has already signed an NDA with Columbia, or an employee of CUMC or NYPH who has information about these cases (even if you’re under an employment agreement), please contact the prosecutor’s office, or call an attorney to discuss your options.

All information received by my office is kept 100% confidential, and I will gladly provide pro bono (free) representation as necessary when reporting your experience to the criminal authorities.

Thank you.