LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge has approved a $73 million settlement of a lawsuit that alleged some 6,000 women were sexually abused by a former University of California, Los Angeles gynecologist.

The judge granted final approval Monday.

The lawsuit alleged that for 35 years, Dr. James Heaps abused women patients while conducting examinations and that UCLA ignored complaints. He's also facing criminal charges but has denied wrongdoing.

The University of Southern California previously agreed to pay more than $1 billion to settle similar allegations against its campus gynecologist.