Weill Cornell Medicine agrees $30 million settlement to end federal sexual abuse probe

Weill Cornell Medicine, a leading New York City medical institution, reached a voluntary compliance agreement with the U.S. Justice Department’s Southern District of New York. Under the deal, the school will spend $30 million to launch the Institute for Safe Patient Care and Patient Empowerment, a program aimed at early identification and prevention of sexual misconduct. The agreement ends the criminal investigation into the institution.

The settlement follows the life‑sentence of former faculty member Darius Paduch, who was convicted of sexually abusing patients, including minors, between 2009 and 2019. Paduch was sentenced to life in prison in 2024. Prior to this, Weill Cornell had agreed to pay more than $1 billion to settle civil claims related to the abuse. Officials said the new institute will maintain an industry‑leading sexual‑abuse prevention program and will self‑report any future federal crimes involving sexual misconduct.