Ohio State University’s board of trustees approved a massive $100 million settlement Wednesday with 279 former students who alleged they were sexually abused by a campus physician decades ago, according to the university and attorneys representing the survivors.
The financial agreement addresses claims against Richard Strauss, who served on the university’s medical and athletic department staff for nearly twenty years. The alleged misconduct spanned from 1978 through 1998, when Strauss left his faculty position.
Strauss took his own life in 2005, seven years after leaving the university.
“The mediation and its confidentiality are continuing as the parties work to finalize the details of the settlements, and additional information will be shared as appropriate,” representatives from both the university and survivor advocates stated jointly.
This latest settlement brings the total number of resolved cases to 304 survivors, with combined payouts exceeding $60 million when including eight additional agreements reached in February.
An investigative report released in 2019 documented that Strauss had sexually violated at least 177 men, primarily students, through inappropriate touching and fondling during what appeared to be routine medical examinations. The investigation also revealed that university personnel who were aware of the misconduct failed to take action.
Following the publication of these findings, more than 500 individuals filed lawsuits against Ohio State, claiming they suffered sexual abuse at the hands of Strauss and that the institution demonstrated willful negligence in addressing the situation.
