UCLA cardiologist accused of sexual assault should have license revoked, says judge
A UCLA cardiologist is accused of sexually assaulting another doctor in 2015. An administrative law judge said his medical license should be revoked after finding convincing evidence. (Daily Bruin file photo)
This post was updated March 7 at 11:07 a.m.
Editor’s note: The Daily Bruin removed the full name of one of the accusers mentioned in the story to protect their safety.
A judge recommended revoking the medical license of a UCLA cardiologist for sexually assaulting another doctor during their time at a USC medical center.
“(With) such serious misconduct and no evidence of rehabilitation, allowing respondent to continue practicing would not be protective of the public or of public confidence in the medical profession,” administrative law judge Thomas Heller wrote in a report to the Medical Board of California.
Guillermo Andres Cortes, who was suspended from his post as a UCLA cardiologist in May 2018, is accused of assaulting three women, including Los Angeles doctor Meena Zareh.
Heller made the recommendation to the Medical Board of California, which will ultimately decide on whether or not to revoke his license. Heller found convincing evidence presented in Zareh’s case, but not in the case of two other accusers, as first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Cortes claims the incident with Zareh did not happen and sexual encounters with the other two accusers were consensual, according to Heller’s report.
Zareh’s case was investigated by the county, which placed Cortes on leave. However, the county found the evidence presented to be inconclusive and Cortes was allowed to return to work. No criminal charges were filed against Cortes for the accusations made by any of the three accusers.
Cortes is not currently working as a physician, according to the LA Times report. However, his medical license is current, and is set to expire April 30.
Zareh filed a civil suit against Cortes, the LA County health department and USC’s medical school in December 2016 for sexual battery, sexual harassment and employee discrimination, among other allegations.
Cortes also faces a second sexual assault lawsuit filed in 2019 by a former fellow in the Keck School of Medicine.
Heller’s report also identifies an accuser with the initials A.S. who sued Cortes for sexual assault and could not conclude Cortes’ encounter with A.S. was nonconsensual.
The third accuser, identified only as C.G. in Heller’s report, filed a police report three years after her alleged incident but has not filed any lawsuits. Heller also found her claims inconclusive.
Cortes was hired at UCLA in 2017 but was suspended a year later. At the time of his suspension, UCLA Health’s spokesperson Phil Hampton said the university was not aware of the charges against Cortes.
The jury trial for Zareh’s suit is scheduled for Sept. 15 in Department 37 of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.
