Former USC Students Accuse the University of “Deliberately Concealing” Doctor’s Sexual Abuse for Years
New allegations have been raised in sexual assault lawsuits filed against the University of Southern California and USC gynecologist George Tyndall, claiming that university officials knew about the accusations of sexual abuse for decades and did nothing to address them. According to these claims, longtime campus gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall is accused of routinely groping patients, forcing them to strip naked, digitally penetrating them, conducting improper exams, taking photos of women’s genitalia, and making inappropriate racial and sexual comments about patients, all of which was allowed to take place on the USC campus over the course of several decades.
Compensations and Settlements for USC Sexual Abuse Victims
More than a dozen lawsuits have already been brought against Dr. Tyndall, USC and the university’s board of trustees, since reports emerged indicating that women had been filing complaints about the gynecologist’s misconduct for years before USC finally took action against the doctor in 2016. According to police, allegations against Dr. Tyndall date from 1990 to 2016, a nearly 30-year period during which they estimate he could have treated more than 10,000 women. During this time, Tyndall allegedly took advantage of the naïve female students in his care, some of whom were as young as 18 at the time of the abuse, subjecting them to numerous instances of sexual assault and harassment, touching them in inappropriate, medically unnecessary ways, asking intrusive questions about their sex lives, and making sexually charged comments about their appearances.
Also at issue is USC’s poor handling of the sexual assault scandal, which has sparked considerable outrage, especially since the university recently admitted having received complaints about Tyndall’s sexual misconduct since the early 2000s, yet allowed the doctor to continue treating student patients. In fact, one of the latest lawsuits against Tyndall, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on May 21, includes allegations by four former students that USC deliberately concealed Tyndall’s alleged sexual misconduct from the public in an effort to protect the university’s reputation. USC officials maintain that senior leaders were not made aware of the allegations until 2017, and that once they were notified of the sexual abuse, they took action to address it.
The lawsuits stem from an investigation published last month by the Los Angeles Times that accused Dr. Tyndall of sexually abusing and assaulting young female patients on campus for years, a disgusting and disgraceful pattern of behavior that one accuser says makes him a “serial sexual predator.” Additionally, the complaints allege a conscious effort by the university to cover up the allegations of abuse and make sure they never became public. According to USC, Tyndall, now 71, was placed on administrative leave in 2016, following a complaint by a nurse, and never returned to treating students, but at that point he had already been granted unfettered access to thousands of young female students for nearly 30 years. And it wasn’t until a year later, in 2017, that Tyndall’s employment was finally terminated by the university.
In the wake of the USC sexual abuse scandal, more than 2,000 people have signed petitions calling for the resignation of the USC president, and Los Angeles police are investigating allegations by hundreds of women about possible instances of sexual assault by Tyndall dating back decades. These women claim that Tyndall forced them to strip naked during exams, made crude comments about their bodies, and inappropriately touched them under the guise of medical treatment for his own “sexual gratification.” One woman claims that Tyndall “grazed his ungloved fingers over her entire naked body, including her breasts,” while another accuses the gynecologist of penetrating her vagina with his entire ungloved hand, and still another claims he groped her breasts and asked her inappropriate sexual questions during an exam.
Lawsuits brought against Tyndall and USC officials are seeking damages for sexual assault, sexual abuse and harassment, sexual battery, molestation, unfair business practices, civil rights violations and negligence, among other charges. So far, more than a dozen lawsuits have been filed, and attorneys investigating claims of sexual assault at USC expect the litigation to expand into the hundreds, if not thousands, before all is said and done. If you or a loved one has been the victim of sexual assault by Dr. Tyndall or another USC employee, contact a knowledgeable attorney today for legal help. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your losses, which you can pursue by filing a sexual assault or harassment lawsuit against your abuser.
