$215M settlement proposed in alleged USC gynecologist abuse
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The University of Southern California today announced a tentative agreement for a $215 million class-action settlement of claims involving alleged sexual harassment and abuse by a gynecologist who treated hundreds of students over decades.
The agreement will provide compensation ranging from $2,500 up to $250,000 to women who have claimed abuse by Dr. George Tyndall between 1988 and 2016, USC Interim President Wanda Austin said in a statement.
About 500 current and former students have now made accusations against Tyndall. They contend he routinely made crude comments, took inappropriate photos, forced them to strip naked and groped them under the guise of medical treatment.
The settlement specifically applies to a pending federal class-action lawsuit that involves about 40 women who have accused Tyndall, according to John Manly, an attorney who represents 180 women who have accused the gynecologist.
The hundreds of women who have filed various lawsuits against the university can join the lawsuit affected by the agreement, but Manly said he is strongly advising his clients against doing so.
"The only guaranteed number in this case is $2,500," Manly said, adding that "$2,500 won't even get you a 50-yard-line seat at a USC football game, let alone compensate somebody for being sexually assaulted by their doctor when they were 18 or 17."
He criticized the proposed settlement, which needs to be approved by a judge, as failing to hold USC accountable.
"We still don't know when did USC first know, how often were they warned, what administrators were involved, was there criminal conduct?" Manly said. "Our clients, more than anything, want those answers and people held accountable, not because it helps their case but to protect the future women at USC."
If the settlement is approved, any victims who have not yet come forward and filed legal action would be held to its terms, Manly said, adding that USC clearly wants to cap future monetary damages.
Atty. Gloria Allred, who represents 36 women who have accused Tyndall, said in a statement the amount of money under the proposed settlement is "way too minimal."