By JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State University will pay $2 million to settle more lawsuits brought by men who said they were sexually abused decades ago by now-deceased team doctor Richard Strauss, increasing the number of survivors who’ve reached settlement agreements to nearly 290.
FILE – This undated file photo shows a photo of Dr. Richard Strauss, an Ohio State University team doctor employed by the school from 1978 until his 1998 retirement. A court reviewer says Ohio State University violated state public records law by intentionally withholding old documents from one of the men alleging decades-old sexual misconduct by Strauss. (Ohio State University via AP, File)
The payouts by the university have now reached just under $60 million to former athletes and other men who alleged Strauss carried out the abuse at campus athletic facilities, a student health center, his home and an off-campus clinic.
The latest settlement announced Friday ends lawsuits brought by 57 survivors whose cases had been dismissed by a federal judge who last year ruled that the legal window for such claims had passed.
Dozens of men whose cases were dismissed have appealed that decision and have yet to reach settlements.
The hundreds of survivors who have sued the university said it failed to stop Strauss despite students raising concerns during his 20 years at Ohio State as far back as the late 1970s. No one has publicly defended Strauss, who died in 2005.
FILE – This May 8, 2019, file photo, shows a sign for Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. On Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, a federal judge dismissed some of the biggest remaining lawsuits over Ohio State’s failure to stop decades-old sexual abuse by now-deceased team doctor Richard Strauss, saying it’s indisputable he abused hundreds of young men but agreeing with OSU’s argument that the legal window for such claims had passed. (AP Photo/Angie Wang, File)
Ohio State has said that an a law firm investigation for the university and lawsuits filed against the school have revealed more than 170 total instances of rape and more than 2,600 instances of fondling attributed to Strauss.
Many of the accusers said they were groped during required physicals or when they sought treatment for injuries.
The terms of the latest settlement call for the survivors to receive $35,000 on average, according to the university.
“Our clients are pleased to have resolved this matter and wish to express their support for all the victims of Richard Strauss,” said John Camillus, an attorney representing some of the men covered in the settlement.
