Evelyn Yang, the wife of 2020 contender Andrew Yang, revealed to CNN that she was sexually assaulted by her OB-GYN in 2012 and is now involved in legal action against Columbia University for allegedly protecting the doctor even as accusers were coming forward. She said she felt inspired to come forward about the ordeal after reading a letter from one of her husband’s supporters about speaking up on sexual assault. “Everyone has their own MeToo story. It’s far too prevalent. But not everyone can tell their story. Not everyone has the audience or platform to tell their story, and I actually feel like I’m in this very privileged position to be able to do that,” she said.
During her first pregnancy, Yang said she was seeing Dr. Robert Hadden and soon started noticing red flags—like him allegedly asking her inappropriate questions about her sexual activity. She said she recognized she had a “pervy” doctor but wanted to “focus on having a healthy baby” rather than scramble to find a new doctor. At the end of one appointment, Yang claimed Hadden told her “I think you might need a C-section” before undressing her and examining her internally while ungloved. “I knew it was wrong. I knew I was being assaulted,” she said. “I just kind of froze like a deer in headlights, just frozen... just waiting for it to be over.”
Yang said she never told her husband or her family until she saw that another woman had reported Hadden's alleged assault to the police. She subsequently joined legal action against Hadden and testified before a grand jury, leading to his indictment on multiple felony sex charges. A 2016 plea deal revoked his medical license, but gave him no jail time. Hadden's attorney has denied Yang's accusations in previous legal filings. Columbia and the hospital system have reportedly contested the suit on procedural grounds, but told CNN Hadden's actions were “abhorrent” and they “deeply apologize to those whose trust was violated.”
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