This post was updated Aug. 18 at 11:36 a.m.
A court motion to dismiss a sexual assault indictment against former UCLA OB-GYN James Heaps was denied in court Friday.
Heaps, who was previously a David Geffen School of Medicine faculty member and OB-GYN at UCLA Health, was indicted on 21 counts of felony sexual assault by a grand jury in May.
If convicted, Heaps potentially faces a sentence of more than 91 years in prison.
[Related: James Heaps’ lawyers file motion to dismiss indictment for felony sexual assault]
Leonard Levine, a lawyer representing Heaps, previously filed a Penal Code 995 motion in July with the Los Angeles Superior Court to dismiss the grand jury’s indictment on the grounds that the prosecutor had not submitted all available evidence that could support a defendant’s innocence.
Judge Kathleen Kennedy denied the motion to dismiss on Friday, stating that the prosecutor had not failed to meet exculpatory evidence requirements.
Levine said in an emailed statement Friday that Heaps’ legal team was disappointed by the court ruling and was considering filing an appeal.
Heaps will next appear in court Sept. 14 for a pretrial conference at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
