Ohio State University reaches $100 million settlement with nearly 300 sex abuse survivors

By Jasper Ward

June 3 (Reuters) – Ohio State University has reached a $100 million settlement with nearly 300 former students who accused the school’s campus doctor of sexually assaulting them decades ago, the school and the victims’ lawyer said on Wednesday.

The agreement with 279 of the 280 former students was approved by the university’s board of directors on Wednesday. This came after years of litigation over accusations that Richard Strauss had abused her for decades.

The abuse occurred between ‌1978‌ and ‌1998‌ when he retired from the faculty.

“Mediation and confidentiality continue as the parties work to finalize the details of the settlement, and additional information will be shared as appropriate,” the school and the victims’ attorney said in a joint statement. he said.

In February, the university reached eight more settlements, bringing the total number of survivors to 304 and more than $60 million.

Strauss, who killed himself in 2005, had been employed by Ohio State’s athletic department and medical staff for nearly two decades.

A 2019 report detailing investigative findings said Strauss sexually harassed at least 177 men, almost all of them students, and that university staff who knew about the abuse failed to take action. The abuse included groping and fondling students’ genitals and other acts under the guise of medical examinations.

News of the investigation and its findings led more than 500 plaintiffs to sue Ohio State, claiming they were sexually harassed by Strauss and that the school showed intentional indifference.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Donna Bryson and Lincoln Feast)