Weill Cornell Medicine deal to boost sexual abuse prevention ends
criminal investigation
[July 28, 2026]
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
NEW YORK (AP) — In a deal that ends a criminal investigation, a
prestigious New York City medical institution agreed to boost its sexual
abuse prevention program after one of its star doctors was convicted of
abusing patients during a decade-long span and was sentenced to life
behind bars, authorities said Monday.
Weill Cornell Medicine, whose faculty treats patients at several New
York-area hospitals, reached a voluntary compliance agreement with the
federal government that calls for it to spend $30 million to create the
Institute for Safe Patient Care and Patient Empowerment.
Weill Cornell Medicine had previously agreed to pay victims over $1
billion to settle civil claims.
The deal comes after Darius Paduch, 59, was sentenced in 2024 to life in
prison for sexually abusing patients from at least 2009 to 2019,
including boys as young as 13. His victims, authorities said, suffered
from certain genetic conditions, along with sexual and erectile
dysfunction.
The doctor had claimed some of his methods of touching patients were
medically necessary, though the indictment said they were intended for
his own sexual gratification. The sentencing judge said his crimes were
so horrific that it was the first time she'd ever sentenced someone to
life in prison when it was not required.
In a statement, Weill Cornell Medicine called the institute “the
first-of-its kind” for the early identification and prevention of sexual
misconduct.
“This resolution is a significant step forward for us in addressing our
former faculty member’s misconduct. Today, Weill Cornell Medicine is a
safer organization,” it said. “Under new executive leadership, we have
enacted significant reforms in patient safety and reporting protocols to
ensure we provide the very best care to all those who place their trust
in us.”
[to top of second column]
|
 It added: “There is no place in our
community — or in any medical institution — for the type of
misconduct that occurred."
In a release, Criminal Division Chief Amanda Houle from the Southern
District of New York prosecutor's office said Weill Cornell Medicine
under the agreement will maintain an industry-leading sexual-abuse
prevention program and will self-report future federal crimes
involving sexual misconduct.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said the agreement sends a “strong, clear
message to all healthcare institutions” that patients should never
be sexually abused and that they must devote the necessary resources
to build and maintain programs that detect, report and prevent
sexual abuse.
Prosecutors said in the release that they determined Weill Cornell
Medicine had policies and programs insufficient to detect, prevent
and respond to Paduch's widespread sexual abuse of patients.
The investigation, according to the release, determined that Paduch
sexually abused many of his patients during his decade with the
institution.
Weill Cornell Medicine, as part of its agreement, acknowledged that
its policies and programs were insufficient and had failed to detect
and adequately respond to Paduch's behavior, prosecutors said.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
