California's 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of former UCLA gynecologist Dr. James Heaps for sexual abuse and ordered a retrial.[1] The reason was that the judge failed to provide the defense with a note from the jury foreman about concerns that one juror did not have sufficient English to perform his duties.[1] Heaps was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2023 after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual assault by deception and two counts of penetration of two female patients.[1][3] The indictment accused him of 21 acts against seven women between 2009 and 2018, the jury acquitted him of seven and was undecided on the rest.[1] Heaps operated for 35 years and was accused of abusing hundreds of female patients from 1989 to 2017.[1] UCLA has paid nearly $700 million in damages for lawsuits related to the allegations.[1][3] The prosecution has 30 days to appeal and is planning a speedy retrial.[1] The judges stated that the error was too serious for another solution despite the burden of the witnesses.[1]