New York Attorney General Letitia James has launched a civil investigation into how Columbia University responded to sexual abuse allegations involving former obstetrician-gynecologist Robert Hadden. Survivors and campus groups have been pressing the university for answers after years of reporting and recent settlements detailed serious institutional breakdowns. The state-level review now adds another layer of legal and public pressure to a scandal that has already led to enormous payouts by the school.
Columbia extends claims deadline as outside review drags on
Columbia has set up a $100 million settlement fund for survivors and, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, has pushed the deadline to file claims to April 15, 2026. The university’s updates say an external investigation into its handling of Hadden is still underway and that a public report will be issued when the outside investigator completes her work. Columbia also states that it has rolled out patient-safety reforms and has reached out to thousands of former patients to alert them to the chance to seek compensation.
Attorney general’s office confirms civil probe
The New York Times reports that James’s office has confirmed a civil probe focused on how Columbia handled complaints and whether administrators mishandled records or delayed notifying patients about Hadden. The Times also notes that Columbia’s outside investigator, Joan Loughnane, has yet to release a final report more than two years after she was hired to examine the university’s response. According to the paper, the attorney general’s inquiry fits into wider scrutiny of Columbia’s actions dating back to 2012.
Internal records and reporting detail alleged failures
Investigative reporting has surfaced internal documents, including a 2012 “Dear Bob” letter, indicating Columbia allowed Hadden to continue seeing patients for weeks after his arrest, as documented by ProPublica. Federal prosecutors later won a conviction against Hadden, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan states he was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian agreed last year to roughly $750 million in settlements, a figure plaintiffs say pushed total civil payouts related to Hadden’s abuse to more than $1 billion, according to The Associated Press.
Survivors and students demand transparency
Survivors, advocates and current medical students say the attorney general’s review is a needed check on Columbia’s own process. As reported by The New York Times, about 400 medical students signed a letter voicing alarm over what they see as institutional failures. Some survivors told the paper they have been contacted by the attorney general’s office even as the external investigator has yet to release findings. Eli Baum, an advocate, said the university "is clearly not taking this investigation seriously," according to the reporting.
What comes next
The attorney general’s civil review can involve document demands, subpoenas and enforcement actions, and its findings could feed into ongoing lawsuits facing the university. Columbia has said it is cooperating with state investigators while continuing to run the settlement fund and implement reforms. In the meantime, survivors and students say they plan to keep pressing for a full, public accounting of what allowed Hadden’s abuse to persist.
