Sexual abuse by a doctor: holding the hospital responsible in California

A doctor sexual abuse lawsuit in California is usually about more than one person. A patient trusts a provider because a hospital, a university health center or a medical group put that provider in the exam room, renewed their privileges and decided what to do with complaints. If you were harmed by someone you trusted with your care, we are sorry. What happened was not your fault, and you do not have to decide anything today.

This guide explains, in plain terms, when the institution behind a provider can be held responsible, what large California cases have shown, how a Medical Board complaint differs from a lawsuit, how California's medical malpractice limits (MICRA) may or may not apply, and the deadlines. It is general information as of October 2026, not legal advice about your situation.

Can you sue the hospital, not just the doctor?

Often, yes. A claim against the provider alone is rarely enough, because individuals seldom have the means to pay for the harm they caused. The stronger questions usually concern the institution:

• Negligent hiring, credentialing and retention. Did the hospital or group check the provider's history, and did it keep renewing privileges after warning signs?
• Negligent supervision. Were chaperone rules in place and followed? Did staff see exams that did not look medically necessary?
• Ignored complaints. Did patients, nurses or residents report concerns that went nowhere?
• Failure to report. Did the institution fail to tell regulators or law enforcement what it knew?
• Cover-up. Did it quietly let the provider leave, use confidentiality agreements, or discourage reports? California law treats a cover-up as the institution's own wrongdoing, and it can change which deadlines apply.

Most of these cases turn on records: credentialing files, prior complaints, chaperone logs, internal investigations and emails. A survivor rarely has those at the start. They come out in the lawsuit.

What large California cases have shown

Three Los Angeles cases show how claims against an institution develop. Each involved a long-serving physician, many patients, and allegations that the institution knew more than it acted on. These were reported results in California cases handled by other firms.

USC and Dr. George Tyndall

The University of Southern California agreed in March 2021 to pay $852 million to more than 700 women who sued over abuse by Tyndall, a campus gynecologist for nearly three decades, according to the Associated Press. That came on top of a separate $215 million class-action settlement covering about 18,000 former patients, bringing the total to more than $1 billion. Tyndall pleaded not guilty to criminal charges and was found dead in October 2023 before any trial, so the criminal allegations were never decided.

UCLA and Dr. James Heaps

The University of California settled claims over former UCLA gynecologist James Heaps in stages: a $73 million class settlement approved in 2021, a $243 million settlement for about 200 women, and a $374.4 million settlement for 312 plaintiffs announced in May 2022. CBS Los Angeles reported the total at more than $690 million. In the criminal case, a jury convicted Heaps in October 2022 of sexual battery by fraud and sexual penetration of an unconscious person involving two patients, and he was sentenced to 11 years in prison in April 2023.

Cedars-Sinai and Dr. Barry Brock

Hundreds of women have sued former Cedars-Sinai OB-GYN Barry Brock and the facilities where he worked. In October 2025, KTLA reported a new suit on behalf of 112 women, with the litigation passing 300 plaintiffs. The lawsuits allege that Cedars-Sinai ignored complaints from patients and staff and kept renewing his privileges for decades. Cedars-Sinai has said Brock no longer has privileges there and that the alleged conduct is counter to its values. Brock has denied the allegations. Under a May 2025 agreement with the Medical Board, he surrendered his license and is barred from practicing in California; his attorney said he did not admit the factual allegations. As of October 2026, we are not aware of a reported settlement or verdict in these cases.

Every case is different, and past results do not predict the outcome of any other case.

Medical Board complaint or lawsuit: what is the difference?

They do different jobs, and you can do both.

• A Medical Board complaint asks the state to investigate a physician's license. The Medical Board of California accepts complaints online, by mail or by fax, and lists sexual misconduct as a complaint category. The Board can discipline a license. It cannot award you money, and it does not act against the hospital as an employer.
• A civil lawsuit seeks compensation from the provider and the institution, and it gives you the power to obtain records through discovery.
• A police report starts a possible criminal case. That is a separate decision, and a criminal case is not required to bring a civil one.

One more point: under California's Patient's Right to Know Act of 2018 (SB 1448), a doctor placed on probation for sexual misconduct with a patient, among other categories, must disclose that probation to patients before an appointment. A Board complaint does not stop or extend any lawsuit deadline.

Does MICRA limit a sexual abuse case against a doctor?

MICRA is California's set of medical malpractice rules. It limits non-economic damages in cases of "professional negligence" (Civil Code § 3333.2, raised by AB 35 in 2022) and has its own short filing deadline (Code of Civil Procedure § 340.5).

Sexual abuse is generally treated differently. Sexual battery is an intentional act, not a negligent mistake in giving care, and California commentators and courts have treated battery as an intentional tort outside MICRA. Claims arising from sexual assault also have their own deadlines (below). That said, institutions often argue that claims against the hospital itself, such as negligent credentialing or supervision, are "professional negligence" subject to MICRA's limits and its shorter deadline. How a court handles that depends on how the claims are framed and the facts. It is a reason to get advice early rather than assume the longer deadline applies to every claim.

Deadlines for a doctor sexual abuse lawsuit

If you were an adult

Code of Civil Procedure § 340.16 generally allows ten years from the last act of sexual assault, or three years from when you discovered (or reasonably should have discovered) an injury caused by it, whichever is later. California has also passed several revival laws:

• AB 2777 (2022) revived certain otherwise time-barred claims for assaults on or after January 1, 2009, which may be filed until December 31, 2026. Claims already decided or settled in writing before January 1, 2023 are excluded. See ../sexual-abuse/ab-2777-adult-sexual-assault-deadline.html.
• AB 250 (2025) opened a new window from January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027 for certain time-barred adult claims where an entity is alleged to have engaged in or attempted a cover-up of prior sexual assault by the perpetrator. Public entities are excluded.
• Doctor-specific windows. Section 340.16 also contains earlier revival provisions written for claims involving student health center physicians and UCLA-affiliated physicians. Those windows have closed.

Revival rules are technical. Which one applies depends on the dates, the defendant and what can be alleged about the institution.

If you were a child

Code of Civil Procedure § 340.1 generally allows a claim until age 40, or within five years of discovering that a psychological injury in adulthood was caused by the abuse, whichever is later. For abuse on or after January 1, 2024, AB 452 eliminated the deadline. See ../sexual-abuse/childhood-sexual-abuse-statute-of-limitations-california.html.

If the hospital is public

University of California medical centers, county hospitals and other public providers are government entities. For adult claims, a written government claim generally must be presented within six months (Government Code § 911.2), and the revival windows may not reach public entities. Childhood sexual assault claims are exempt from the claim requirement under Government Code § 905(m). Read ../jail-deaths/six-month-government-claim-deadline.html if a public hospital is involved.

What to do now

1. Write down what you remember when you are ready: the provider's name, the clinic, approximate dates, who else was in the room, and anyone you told.
2. Keep what you have. Appointment reminders, patient portal messages, bills, insurance statements and pharmacy records help establish dates.
3. Request your medical records. You generally have a right to your own chart. A lawyer can make the request for you.
4. Do not sign anything from the hospital, its insurer or a "patient relations" office before getting advice, especially a release or confidentiality agreement.
5. Consider a Medical Board complaint separately. It does not replace a lawsuit and does not extend a deadline.
6. Talk to a lawyer before a deadline, particularly if your claim may depend on the December 31, 2026 or December 31, 2027 revival dates.

How LaCour handles medical abuse cases

LaCour Trial Lawyers is a trial firm, and a partner leads every institutional abuse case from the first call. We can file as Jane Doe or John Doe to keep your name out of the public record; see ../sexual-abuse/filing-as-jane-doe-sexual-abuse-lawsuit.html. We have Spanish-speaking lawyers, and there is no fee unless there is a recovery. Learn more about our ../sexual-abuse.html practice, or ask for a free, confidential review.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information about California and federal law and about public records as of its date. It is not legal advice, and reading it or contacting us does not create an attorney–client relationship. Allegations in lawsuits are claims, not findings. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney advertising.