Weill Cornell Medicine deal to boost sexual abuse prevention ends criminal investigation

President of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva, right, and Argentina Economy Minister Luis Caputo pose for a photo as they arrive at the Economy Ministry for a meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, July 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello) 2026-07-27T21:56:09Z 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.” (