A UCLA cardiologist who was accused of sexually assaulting a colleague has had his medical license revoked. 

This decision to revoke the UCLA cardiologist’s medical license came after Dr. Meena Zareh, also a cardiologist, claimed that Guillermo Andres Cortes had sexually assaulted her in 2015 while they both worked at an L.A. County teaching hospital in Boyle Heights. This experience was echoed by two other physicians who also say that they were assaulted by Cortes.

After his time at USC, Cortes reportedly continued his medical education at a paid post at UCLA. He has reportedly been suspended on paid leave since 2018 after the first steps were taken to revoke his medical license. 

Last year, a hearing was held over the issue, in which Cortes denied these allegations. The Los Angeles Times explains that Cortes did say that he had had a consensual relationship with the two other doctors, but had had no relationships with Dr. Zareh.

In 2019, Administrative Judge Thomas Heller had made the recommendation to revoke Cortes’s medical license based on the allegations brought forward by Dr. Zareh. He stated that he was “unconvinced” about the two other doctors’ allegations, explain the Los Angeles Times. 

The judge noted that Dr. Zareh had spoken to a friend after the alleged assault had occurred, an occurrence that he believed lent clarity and evidence to her claims. He also challenged Cortes’s attempt to argue that Dr. Meera was merely using sexual assault allegations to retaliate at Cortes for allegedly stating that USC’s cardiology fellowship was not a good fit for her. In the judge’s eyes, it was “not believable” that Dr. Meera would invent a sexual assault allegation “just because [Cortes] said USC was not a good cardiology fellowship match for her.”

Now, the Medical Board of California has accepted this recommendation. The revocation officially takes effect in 30 days. 

Dr. Zareh did respond to the decision made by the medical board, saying she was “very happy” with the action to revoke Cortes’s medical license. In her eyes, “it send s a message that sexual assault by anyone, including doctors, is illegal and will not be tolerated.”

Dr. Zareh had not only filed claims against Cortes, but against USC and LA County. She argued that the school and the county used various tactics to discourage her from sharing her experiences. Allegedly, she launched a complaint about Cortes’s conduct to the administrators in her program at USC about three months after the alleged assault. She says that instead of taking actions, these administrators told her to either continue her medical education away from USC, or to delay her studies.

Though Dr. Zareh reflected positively on the Medical Board’s decision to revoke Cortes’s license, she stressed that the action needed to protect medical professionals from assaults was not over. She stated that “as long as these institutions engage in such practices, female patients, healthcare providers and workers will not be safe from such assaults.”

In contrast to Dr. Zareh’s allegations that LA County did not take sufficient action after she made her complaint against the UCLA cardiologist, a spokesperson for LA County stated that the county took “immediate action” to address the allegations. For the USC’s part, a spokesperson stated that the university “takes allegations of inappropriate conduct very seriously.” 

Since they were filed, the USC cardiologist sexual assault allegations have gone through several developments, including being referred as a criminal investigation. However, the district attorney’s office did not file felony charges, saying that there was not enough evidence to file such a charge. 

In light of the Medical Board’s decision to revoke Cortes’s license, the former cardiologist is reportedly now weighing his options — he may ask the LA County Superior Court judge to review the administrative judge’s findings around the sexual assault allegations, or he may approach the Medical Board itself, and ask the board to reconsider the decision to revoke his license. 

This is not the first time a USC student has accused their alma mater of mishandling sexual assault allegations. Last year, a longtime USC gynecologist was charged with sexual assault after many students said that he abused his power as a medical provider and abused his patients.

This year, the Department of Education criticized the school for allegedly mishandling the well-publicized allegations against the gynecologist.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.