Attorneys announced Thursday that a settlement has been reached in the case of hundreds of women, some represented by Santa Clarita law firm Owen, Patterson & Owen (OPO), who allege they were sexually violated by former full-time University of Southern California (USC) gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall.
Owen, Patterson & Owen joined several other firms in announcing an over $1.1 billion “global settlement” of lawsuits against the university Thursday, describing the resolution as the largest known settlement in a sexual abuse case in U.S. history ever reached against a university.
OPO’s clients are overwhelmed by the settlement.
“By this settlement, USC has finally recognized that each of our clients was victimized, not only by George Tyndall, but also by USC as an institution that they trusted. But they are survivors, and this settlement will get each of them on the road to healing,” said Susan Owen, who represents many of the plaintiffs in the case. “This also sends a message to other institutions to examine their practices to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.”
Allegations that Tyndall, USC’s staff gynecologist until 2016, groped female students during exams and improperly photographed or commented on women’s bodies began as early as the 1990’s, according to officials.
Tyndall, who has denied wrongdoing, was originally charged in June 2019 with 18 felony counts of sexual penetration and 11 felony counts of sexual battery by fraud involving 16 women dating back to 2009, with the alleged victims ranging in age from 17 to 31. He pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on bond about two months after his arrest.
“The university reached an agreement on an $852 million settlement with 710 former patients who filed suit in California state court. Combined with the $215 million federal class-action agreement reached in 2018 and other settlements, the total amount paid to the federal and state plaintiffs will exceed $1.1 billion,” according to a Thursday statement from USC.
See Related: Feds Investigating USC, Owen Patterson & Owen Continues Suit Over Sexual Abuse Allegations
In 2020, Tyndall was charged with five counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person and one count of sexual battery by fraud involving five other women, with the crimes allegedly occurring between 2011 and 2015.
In January of last year, a federal judge in Los Angeles granted final approval of a $215 million class-action settlement between USC and some of the women who claimed they were sexually abused by Tyndall.
The Owen, Patterson & Owen lawsuit, filed May 24, 2018, alleges a total of 18 causes of action including Sexual Battery, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Sexual Harassment, Gross Negligence, Gender Violence and Title IX, among others.
The victims allege that USC attempted to cover up Dr. Tyndall’s actions and allowed them to continue, allegedly resulting in hundreds of unnecessary victims.
Women currently attending USC as well as those who attended USC in the past have come forward with allegations that Dr. Tyndall did not follow standard medical protocol during pelvic examinations.
One of Owen, Patterson & Owen’s clients said when she first visited the Student Health Clinic, she was not sexually active, but Tyndall gave her unnecessary medical advice and sexually assaulted her.
“She was not sexually active, but was still told to go on birth control,” said Owen in a previous story. “She was told to disrobe for the examination, but before Tyndall had put a speculum in, he inserted three fingers into her vagina and said that she ‘would be great at sex.’”
Another victim, who, like the first was under 20 at the time of the incident, had never gone to a gynecologist for an appointment before and said she had no way of telling if Tyndall’s actions were abnormal.
“She also was asked to fully disrobe, at which point (Tyndall) stuck his whole hand inside of her,” Owen said. “He then attempted to touch her G-Spot and asked if she ‘felt anything.’”
Despite the presence of chaperones, who are there to protect these women, the chaperones, agents of the University, failed to take sufficient action to prevent thousands of women from being sexually assaulted, according to OPO. As a result, no action was taken until 2016 when termination proceedings finally commenced, resulting in his removal in 2017.
Dr. Tyndall had been USC’s full-time gynecologist for almost 30 years at its Engemann Student Health Center. Per a letter written by USC in May 2018, USC staff admits it should have taken action sooner, and the plaintiffs agree.
“USC violated the trust and safety of its female students by allowing Dr. Tyndall to continue to treat patients despite their knowledge of inappropriate sexual behavior over a span of many years,” read a 2018 OPO statement.
The ultimate goal is to seek justice for those harmed by Dr. Tyndall, to hold all responsible parties accountable, and to prevent future situations across the country, according to OPO.
“While no amount of money can erase the trauma that the victims needlessly suffered, it is our job to see to it that our clients are compensated for their injuries, both physical and emotional. Therefore, we are very pleased with this result,” read an official statement released Thursday.
Owen, Patterson & Owen is located in Valencia, California and specializes in sexual assault, verbal and/or physical abuse of females, males, children, and seniors, and other areas of personal injury law. The firm was founded in 1977 and is recognized by the most prestigious organizations in the field of law, honoring the top 1 percent of the 1.3 million lawyers in the country.
If you were a patient of Dr. Tyndall and treated inappropriately in any way, learn more about the lawsuit as well as your rights.
For more information please call 800-676-5295 or visit the website here.
Ed. Note: This story has been edited to include a March 25, 2021 statement from USC.
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