Ex-UCLA Gynecologist’s Conviction Overturned on Jury Note Mishap

The conviction of former University of California, Los Angeles, gynecologist James Mason Heaps for sex crimes against his patients was overturned by California state court Friday.

Heaps was deprived of his right to counsel when a judicial assistant spoke with the jury during deliberations without the parties knowing, a three-judge panel for the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District ruled.

The appeals court ordered that his case be sent back for retrial. Heaps faced charges of sexual battery and sexual exploitation based on the claims of seven former patients who accused him of committing the crimes during ...