USC to pay $1bn in lawsuit against gynecologist George Tyndall in largest higher education sexual abuse payout in history
- George Tyndall, 74, worked as the only full time gynecologist at USC's student health center for 30 years.
- He was not suspended until 2016 and resigned in 2017 following an internal investigation.
- Tyndall pleaded not guilty. He is free on bond and if convicted, faces up to 64 years in prison.
The University of Southern California (USC) will pay more than $1 billion to more than 700 victims sexually abused by former gynecologist George Tyndall, in the largest payout in higher education history.
Tyndall, 74, worked as the only full-time gynecologist at the college's student health center for 30 years and is facing 35 criminal counts of sexual misconduct between 2009 and 2016, the AP reported.
He was not suspended until 2016 after a nurse, who was chaperoning a patient, reported him to a rape crisis center. He then resigned with a large payout in 2017 after an internal inquiry found he had made inappropriate remarks to patients, according to BBC News.
Tyndall was arrested in 2019 after the allegations first came to light in a 2018 investigation by the LA Times, which revealed that complaints against him at the university dated back to the 90s.
The former gynecologist has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. He is currently free on bond. If convicted, he faces up to 64 years in prison, the AP added. He surrendered his medical license in 2019.
According to a statement from 2019, Tyndall said that he "remains adamant" that he would be "totally exonerated," BBC News noted.
USC agreed to pay $852 million to the claimants, the largest ever sexual abuse settlement, according to AP. It previously agreed to pay $215m in 2018 to settle a class-action lawsuit encompassing 18,000 of Tyndall's patients, with individual payouts ranging from $2,500 to $250,000, BBC News also added.
The announcement was made during a press conference on Friday where multiple victims shared their experiences of Tyndall's abuse.
Several of the women called for criminal charges to be filed against USC administrators who were aware of the allegations against Tyndall for decades yet did not fire him, according to LBC News.
In a statement seen by the AP University of Southern California President Carol L. Folt, said: "I am deeply sorry for the pain experienced by these valued members of the USC community.
"We appreciate the courage of all who came forward and hope this much-needed resolution provides some relief to the women abused by George Tyndall."
Folt took office in 2019 as part of an overhaul of USC leadership amid this scandal and the college admissions scandal. USC and its insurers will cover the cost of the settlements, LBC added.
In 2018, Michigan State University agreed to pay out $500m after more than 300 women and girls were assaulted by Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics national team doctor.