E. Gordon Gee, former two-time Ohio State president and current consultant, is to be deposed in a class-action lawsuit on how Ohio State handled Dr. Richard Strauss’ sexual abuse. Credit: Shelby Lum | Lantern File Photo
Former two-time Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee must answer questions regarding how the university handled Dr. Richard Strauss’ sexual abuse by April 17, a federal judge has ordered.
Judge Michael Watson of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio motioned on Wednesday for Gee to be deposed within 30 days of when the order was granted in the class action lawsuit.
Steve Synder-Hill, a Strauss survivor and the lead plaintiff in the suit, said in a statement Gee has alternately expressed remorse for the actions of his administration and said the survivors are attempting to use “cancel culture.”
“So we need him deposed under oath to see what ‘version’ of Gee we get,” Snyder-Hill said.?
Chris Booker, a university spokesperson, said Ohio State does not comment on ongoing litigation.
Strauss sexually abused at least 177 students, mainly male athletes, while he was a physician at Ohio State from 1978-98, per prior Lantern reporting. University officials were aware of the abuse as early as 1979.
He died by suicide in 2005 but 13 years later, over 500 survivors came forward and filed lawsuits against Ohio State and how it handled Strauss’ abuse. Currently, over half of the survivors have settled, leaving 222 remaining.
Gee was Ohio State’s president from 1990-98, overlapping with Strauss’ tenure for eight years. He returned to the university from 2007-2013 as president and is currently serving a one-year consulting role with Ohio State to help university leaders advance their strategic priorities, per prior Lantern reporting.
In 2019, Ohio State released the Perkins Coie Report, an independent investigation on Strauss. Gee’s name was mentioned multiple times in the 182-page document.
According to the report, Strauss sent or copied Gee in two letters requesting an appeal of a hearing about the allegations, claiming he was terminated without due process. In the investigation, Gee said that he directed other university leaders and lawyers to oversee the situation.
Other mentions included Gee receiving a letter about the locker room conditions in Larkins Hall, the former physical recreation building where Strauss regularly worked with several athletic teams.
The document said there were reports of voyeurism and sexual activities within the locker room. The letter to Gee did not mention those reports nor any details relating to Strauss. The motion does not include what Gee will be asked in the deposition.
Watson also ordered Les Wexner, chair of the Wexner Medical Center and former member of the Board of Trustees, to sit for a deposition in the lawsuit to ask about his knowledge of Strauss. Similar to Gee, Wexner’s time on the board overlapped with Strauss from 1988-97, per prior Lantern reporting.
Watson ordered Wexner to appear for the deposition within 60 days of the order, this cutoff was March 18.
