***PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WEBSITE DEALS WITH SEXUAL MISCONDUCT AND ABUSE***

This is the website of Simone Lelchuk, the Claims Administrator for the Hadden Settlement Fund. Columbia University has established a $100 million survivors’ settlement fund that is available to former patients of Robert Hadden, a former obstetrician and gynecologist who was employed by Columbia University Irving Medical Center. If you experienced abuse as a patient of Hadden you may be entitled to participate in the Settlement Fund using this alternative pathway to receive a financial settlement without the need for an attorney. 

The $100 million survivors’ Settlement Fund that was established for the benefit of former patients of Robert Hadden is now open and accepting applications. If you experienced inappropriate sexual behavior, misconduct or abuse, physical or otherwise, as a patient of Robert Hadden you may be entitled to participate in the Settlement Fund. More information regarding eligibility and how to apply to the fund is available below and under the File a Claim tab. If, after reviewing this website you have more questions, Simone Lelchuk, an experienced, trauma-informed claims administrator, can answer any other questions you may have and her team can be reached at 212-641-0830.  

GENERAL PROTOCOLS GOVERNING THE HADDEN SETTLEMENT FUND

• Participation in the Settlement Fund is purely voluntary; no individual is required to participate.
• You do not need a lawyer to apply to the Settlement Fund.  Applicants are, however, free to consult with counsel of their choosing.  Pro bono (free of charge) counsel is also available to all interested applicants as further explained below and in the Questionnaire directions.
• You are eligible to apply to the Settlement Fund only if you meet ALL the following criteria:
  • You are a former patient of Robert Hadden who experienced some form of sexual abuse or misconduct by Robert Hadden; and
  • You have not previously settled a legal claim related to Robert Hadden against Columbia University, New York Presbyterian Hospital, and/or their affiliates; and
  • You have not filed a legal claim related to Robert Hadden (or signed an engagement letter with a lawyer for purposes of participating in any class action) against Columbia University, New York Presbyterian Hospital, and/or their affiliates.  
• To apply to the Settlement Fund, you must first complete and submit the Questionnaire online that can be found under the File a Claim tab.
  • Only online submissions of the Questionnaire will be accepted, unless there are extenuating circumstances that require submission in hard copy.  If you can only provide a completed Questionnaire in hard copy, please contact the Claims Administrator for permission.
  • If you would like to view or print out a complete, blank Questionnaire for your review, you may do so by going to the File a Claim tab. 
  • After you submit your Questionnaire online, you will have the opportunity to print out your completed submission.
  • You have one year from February 13, 2024 to submit a claim. The deadline to submit a claim is February 13, 2025 at 11:59PM EST.
  • The Questionnaire is available in English and Spanish on this website.  If you require the Questionnaire in a different language, please contact the Claims Administrator.  You may respond to the Questionnaire in your chosen language.  You may contact the Claims Administrator in your chosen language. 
  • Your application will be deemed fully submitted and ready for review by the Claims Administrator only after you have (a) answered all required fields on the Questionnaire; (b) submitted the Questionnaire online; (c) signed and completed the “Consent and Authorization for Use and Release of Information” form that is required for the medical lien process; and (d) signed and completed the “Proof of Representation” form that is required for the medical lien process.
• The information included in the Questionnaire will be kept confidential from the public to the maximum extent permitted by law.  
  • The Claims Administrator will use the information to confirm that you were a patient of Hadden's.  
  • The Claims Administrator will also provide certain of your identifying information to a third-party vendor (not Columbia University or New York Presbyterian Hospital) to determine whether there are medical liens related to your injury, as specified below. 
  • The Claims Administrator will also determine whether you experienced some form of abuse by Hadden using the Questionnaire and additional information provided by you.
• As part of the process, you may (but are not required to) request a phone, video, or in-person (in New York City) meeting with the Claims Administrator.  The Claims Administrator may request a phone or video meeting with some, but not all applicants, if she feels that will help her obtain additional, helpful information about a person’s claim.
• Applying to the Settlement Fund does not guarantee that you will receive a settlement payment.  The Claims Administrator will ultimately determine whether a settlement payment is warranted and, if so, the amount.  Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Hospital will not be consulted about these decisions. 
• If you decide to accept the settlement payment offered by the Claims Administrator, you will be required to sign a Settlement Agreement and Release releasing potential legal claims related to Robert Hadden against Columbia University, New York Presbyterian Hospital, the Claims Administrator, and/or any affiliated entities or persons.  
  • To understand your rights, you are free to consult with an attorney of your choosing prior to entering into any Settlement Agreement and Release.
  • Nothing in the Settlement Agreement and Release will restrict you from discussing your experience with Hadden's abuse or its effects, if you choose.
• Settlement payments are anticipated to be paid within 60 days after all of the following has occurred:  (i) the Claims Administrator determines a settlement payment amount, if any, (ii) you decide to accept it and sign a Settlement Agreement and Release, and (iii) the medical lien resolution process is complete. 
• As a mandatory part of the process, the Claims Administrator will confirm that there are no medical liens related to your injury that must be repaid prior to disbursement of funds to you.  
  • The Claims Administrator will confirm that there are no healthcare liens asserted against you related to an injury covered by the settlement with respect to:
    • Medicare Parts A and B;
    • Medicare Parts C and D, including private insurance companies that administer Medicare Parts C and D coverage;
    • State Medicaid; and
    • Military benefits (TRICARE or Veterans Affairs).
  • Federal and state law give Medicare, Medicaid, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, TRICARE and other governmental agencies a right to recover some or all of a settlement payment as reimbursement if they paid for medical care related to an injury that is covered by a settlement. The Claims Administrator cannot accept your representation that there are no medical liens asserted by these entities and must instead independently verify whether there are medical liens.
  • If it is determined that there is a medical lien, the Claim Administrator’s medical lien resolution specialists will review the lien and attempt to negotiate a resolution with the lien holder on your behalf.  Any lien amount that must be paid will affect the size of a disbursement of funds to you.
• You must indicate whether you have filed for bankruptcy or had an involuntary bankruptcy petition filed against you at any time between the date of the abuse by Robert Hadden and the date the Questionnaire is submitted.
  • An applicant with a bankruptcy filing should contact their bankruptcy counsel to understand how to proceed.

Protecting Your Privacy
Your identity and all information you provide in making your claim will be kept strictly confidential to the maximum extent permitted by law. Everyone you interact with when making your claim – either online or on the phone – is specially trained to be sensitive to the needs of survivors, and to ensure you have a safe, private, and compassionate place to tell your story.

How do I get additional information?
Please monitor this website for updates or sign up for email alerts at the bottom of this page to be notified when this website is updated. 

How do I get my medical records?
The Claims Administrator does not have copies of, or access to, your medical records.  You may request your medical records at https://www.columbiadoctors.org/patients/medical-records.  You will be presented with the option of submitting your request online, by mail, or via facsimile.

Materials in a language other than English
If you need any of the materials on this website in another language, please send an email to info@haddensettlementfund.com. Si necesita alguno de los materiales de este sitio web en otro idioma, envíe un correo electrónico a info@haddensettlementfund.com.

How do I remove Robert Hadden from a birth certificate?
The NYC Department of Health website provides instructions for requesting changes to birth certificates.  As relevant here, to remove a provider’s name following the surrender of a medical license, the submission will need to contain a printout, or hard copy, showing the surrender of the medical license. For Hadden, this document is available on the New York State Department of Health Office of Professional Medical Conduct website and, as we understand it, is sufficient to show his surrender of his license. For more detailed instructions on this process, please click on the link above for the NYC Department of Health and scroll down to the section Remove Provider’s Name. You will be asked to identify a substitute medical provider, and you can either leave this field blank or enter Columbia University Obstetrics & Gynecology.

How long will the Settlement Fund be open?
You have one year from February 13, 2024 to submit a claim. The deadline to submit a claim is February 13, 2025 at 11:59PM EST.

What if the abuse I suffered did not involve physical touching?
You are eligible to apply to the Settlement Fund.

Is Counsel available to assist me with the claims process?
Pro bono (free of charge) counsel is available to you.  Please email Kirkland & Ellis LLP (“Pro Bono Counsel”) at HaddenAssistance@Kirkland.com.  You do not need to contact or receive permission from the Claims Administrator prior to reaching out to counsel, including Pro Bono Counsel.  Pro Bono Counsel will only assign female attorneys to assist you and many of the women are trauma informed.  These pro bono lawyers have not (and do not) represent the University and/or Hospital, or the Claims Administrator.  Pro Bono Counsel is not associated with any lawsuit involving Hadden. You are also free to consult with counsel of your choosing. However, to the extent that such counsel charges fees and costs, you are solely responsible for those fees and costs. The Settlement Fund will not reimburse you for attorney's fees and costs and no settlement offer will include a provision for attorney's fees and costs.

Columbia has established a website – www.cuimc.columbia.edu/rebuilding-trust with resources and support for survivors. 

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