A renowned urologist was sentenced this week to life in prison for sexually abusing seven former patients. But his trial left a crucial question unanswered: How was he allowed to practice for so long?

Dr. Darius Paduch worked at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell in Manhattan for 17 years. In that time, at least five complaints were made by patients and employees, accusing him of a range of inappropriate behavior and sexually charged remarks. Hundreds of lawsuits have yielded evidence that hospital officials were made aware of the complaints far earlier than previously known, and some men who reported his behavior say their claims were not taken seriously.