USC agrees to $1.1 billion settlement to hundreds of women alleging sex abuse by gynecologist

The University of Southern California agreed to pay more than $1 billion in settlements to those who accused former student health center gynecologist George Tyndall of repeated sexual assaults on female patients.

The Los Angeles Superior Court approved a deal Thursday that would give 710 women who were allegedly abused by Tyndall an $852 million settlement. This is in addition to a $215 million settlement that was given final approval last year as part of a different federal class action lawsuit.

In a statement Thursday, USC said that it was committed to reaching a fair agreement for the former students.

“I am deeply sorry for the pain experienced by these valued members of the USC community,” USC President Carol L. Folt said. “We appreciate the courage of all who came forward and hope this much needed resolution provides some relief to the women abused by George Tyndall.”

Tyndall was arrested and charged in 2019 with 18 counts of sexual penetration and 11 counts of sexual battery by fraud in cases involving multiple young women. Prosecutors additionally charged him with five counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person and one count of sexual battery by fraud last year.

Tyndall has entered pleas of not guilty to the charges and his trial is still pending.

The alleged assaults between 2009 and 2016, with hundreds of women coming forward with their own accusations against Tyndall, the Los Angeles Police Department has previously said. Some of the alleged assaults fall outside the statute of limitations for criminal charges to be filed.

Detectives found more than 1,000 videos described as “homemade sex tapes” and a number of sexually explicit photographs during a search warrant at Tyndall’s home, though not all were made through his employment at the university.

An investigation by the Department of Education’s civil rights office found that USC mishandled the allegations against Tyndall during his employment, which may have allowed the abuse to continue.

USC agreed to create a centralized record-keeping system to track misconduct complaints against employees, and what actions school officials take in response to the complaints, after the federal investigation’s findings.

John Manly, one of the lead attorneys who represented more than 700 women in the settlement, characterized the idea that the university was not aware of Tyndall’s alleged abuse, which spanned decades, as “a damn lie.”

“There are many in the administration and the board of trustees who don’t belong at that university,” Manly said Thursday after the announcement of the settlement. “Not all, but some … they put the prestige, fundraising, and the university brand ahead of the wellbeing of students for 30 years.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. The hotline, run by the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN), can put you in contact with your local rape crisis center. You can also access RAINN’s online chat service at https://www.rainn.org/get-help.