Appeals court overturns former UCLA gynecologist's sex abuse conviction
- Posted on February 3, 2026
- By AOL
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Appeals court overturns former UCLA gynecologist's sex abuse conviction

A California appeals court on Monday overturned the conviction of a former campus gynecologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, on sex abuse charges. James Heaps was sentenced in 2023 to 11 years in prison for sexually abusing female patients. A three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled Heaps was denied a fair trial because his defense counsel was not made aware of a note pointing out concerns that one juror lacked sufficient English to carry out their duties.