The University of Southern California (USC) has agreed to a $ 852 million deal with more than 700 women who have accused the longtime gynecologist on the college’s campus of sexual abuse.
The victims’ lawyers and the USC announced the deal on Thursday. When combined with an earlier separate class action settlement, the school agreed to pay more than $ 1 billion for claims against Dr. George Tyndall.
Tyndall, 74, faces 35 criminal charges for alleged sexual misconduct between 2009 and 2016 at the university’s student health center. He pleaded not guilty and is on bail.
Hundreds of women came forward to report their allegations to the police, but some of the cases fell outside the 10-year statute of limitations, while others did not reach the level of criminal charges or did not have sufficient evidence to prosecute. Still, Tyndall faces up to 64 years in prison if convicted.
“I deeply regret the pain experienced by these valuable members of the USC community,” said USC President Carol L Folt in a statement. “We appreciate the courage of all who have come forward and hope that this much-needed resolution will provide some relief to women abused by George Tyndall.”
Folt took office in 2019 as part of a reshaping of USC’s leadership amid bribery scandals by the gynecologist and the college entrance exam.
The $ 852 million civil settlement is considered the largest sexual abuse agreement against any university, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, as well as the largest personal injury agreement against any college or university. The lawyers say no confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement has been attached.
Tyndall was deposed by the settlement and largely relied on his rights against self-incrimination in the responses, the plaintiff’s lawyers said. While he signed the agreement, he did not contribute any money to it and admitted no wrongdoing.
“Dr. Tyndall continues to deny that he was involved in any misconduct,” said Leonard Levine, Tyndall’s lawyer. “He has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges and remains confident that when the allegations are tested in court at a jury trial, he will be fully acquitted.”
In 2018, Michigan State University agreed to pay $ 500 million to settle claims by more than 300 women and girls who said they were beaten by sports physician Larry Nassar. That deal was considered the largest at the time, far exceeding the $ 100 million paid by Penn State University to resolve claims by at least 35 people who accused assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky of sexual abuse.
Separately, USC previously agreed to pay $ 215 million to settle a class action that applies to about 18,000 women who were Tyndall’s patients. Individual payments to these victims range from $ 2,500 to $ 250,000 and were given regardless of whether the women had formally accused Tyndall of harassment or assault. Final payments are expected to be issued this month.
The allegations against Tyndall first surfaced in 2018 in an investigation by the Los Angeles Times, which revealed that the doctor had been the subject of reports of sexual misconduct at USC since the 1990s.
He was not suspended until 2016, when a nurse reported him to a rape crisis center. He was able to discreetly resign with a large payment the following year.
Tyndall handed over his medical license in September 2019, the records show.