The Justice Department’s findings accusing the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) of intentional racial discrimination during the admission process is the latest controversy to hit the institution, which is already reeling from the intense scrutiny over the s*x abuse scandal involving former UCLA gynecologist James Heaps.
A year-long investigation by the DOJ‘s Civil Rights Division revealed that UCLA’s leadership allegedly selected applicants based on race. The probe further revealed that, on average, the applicants from the black and Hispanic communities had consistently lower academic qualifications compared to white and Asian applicants.
The institution apparently reasoned that patients receive the best care when treated by a doctor of the same race, rather than by the most qualified practitioner.
🚨Justice Department Investigation Determines UCLA’s Medical School Discriminated Based on Race in Admissions
"UCLA’s admissions process has been focused on racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence — allowing racial politics to distract the school from the… pic.twitter.com/7S3MXLYQqf
— DOJ Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) May 6, 2026
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division spoke about the findings. “UCLA’s admissions process has been focused on racial demographics at the expense of merit and excellence — allowing racial politics to distract the school from the vital work of training great doctors,” he said.
“Racism in admissions is both illegal and anti-American, and this Department will not allow it to continue.”
For critics, the DOJ findings are not entirely surprising given the medical school’s troubled recent history. The institution has already been under intense scrutiny over the years-long s*xual misconduct scandal tied to former UCLA gynecologist James Heaps, MD.
Last month, Heaps pleaded guilty to s*xual abuse charges, out of which six involve s*xually abusing an unconscious person. He now faces 11 years in prison. In February, an appeals court overturned a 2023 conviction against him, ruling that Heaps was denied a fair trial because the judge did not share a note from the jury’s foreman with his attorneys, raising concerns about a juror’s proficiency in English.
University of California agreed to pay $375M to 312 people who reported sexual abuse by an ex-UCLA gynecologist, bringing total settlements to $700M.
James Heaps allegedly abused hundreds from 1983-2018, including cancer patients. Women say UCLA intentionally ignored the abuse. pic.twitter.com/QSeeDQy1oG
— AJ+ (@ajplus) May 25, 2022
According to the Associated Press, Heaps, 69, recently pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts. In 2023, the disgraced gynecologist was sentenced to 11 years behind bars after the court found him guilty on five counts of s*xual battery and penetration involving two patients, when he was still affiliated with the university.
According to the news outlet, at one point, Heaps was among the highest-paid physicians employed at the UCLA School of Medicine. He was indicted in 2021 “on multiple counts each of s*xual battery by fraud, s*xual exploitation of a patient, and s*xual penetration of an unconscious person by fraudulent representation. The charges were linked to the s*xual assaults of seven women between 2009 and 2018.”
After the scandal came to light in 2019, UCLA agreed to pay $700 million in lawsuit settlements to Heaps’ patients. During the investigation in the following years, the doctor reportedly tried to delay proceedings and discredit survivors’ testimonies many times.
In April this year, Heaps admitted his guilt to six counts of s*xual penetration of an unconscious person, two counts of s*xual exploitation of a patient, and five counts of s*xual battery by fraud. With the DOJ’s recent findings about the alleged racial discrimination now making headlines, UCLA’s medical school is once again facing renewed public scrutiny.
