USC Offers $215 Million Settlement In George Tyndall Abuse Cases

The University of Southern California said Friday that it has agreed to offer $215 million in connection with the school’s former gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall, who is accused of having sexually abused more than 400 women, the Los Angeles Times stated.

The USC proposal would give $2,500 to any USC student treated by Tyndall over the 30-plus years he worked at the university and as much as $250,000 to those who charged that the physician abused them, the newspaper stated.

The Times reported that the offer is the start of what some believe will be a string of payouts made by the university stemming from the sexual abuse scandal involving Tyndall at the campus’ student health clinic for over three decades.

On Thursday, more than 90 women filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Tyndall and USA charging sexual misconduct and abuse, joining other lawsuits that included 400 other women, KCBS-TV reported.

The women alleged that not only were they abused, but the university also knew about it and covered up the misconduct.

“A fair and respectful resolution for as many former patients as possible has been?a priority for the university and for me personally since I began serving in the role of interim president,” Wanda Austin said in a statement from the university Friday.

“Many sweeping changes have been made and we continue to?work every day to prevent all forms of misconduct on our campuses, to provide outstanding care to all students, and to ensure we have policies and procedures that prioritize respect for our students and our entire university community,” the statement continued.

The Los Angeles Times wrote that the USC deal applies only to a federal class-action lawsuit and does not resolve more than 400 other patient lawsuits currently in Los Angeles Superior Court.

“They want to shut it down, close the loop and end the inquiry on the documents showing who knew what — because it’s bad,” John Manly, an attorney representing 180 of Tyndall’s former patients, said, per the Times. “If you are in favor of secrecy about sexual assault and in favor of protecting sexual abusers, this is a great day for you.”

Friday’s settlement was negotiated over months between three law firms representing patients, USC lawyers, and an attorney for Tyndall, the newspaper said. U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson must sign off on the deal in order.

Tyndall has denied all charges in the past, according to the Times.

“Through all of these efforts, the board is hopeful that we will continue to rebuild trust within our community,” Rick Caruso, chair of the USC board of trustees, said in a statement.