Ohio State settles with 57 additional Strauss victims

Sarah Szilagy
Fri, 15 Apr 2022 15:03:49 +0000
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Ohio State will settle with 57 additional victims of Richard Strauss for $1.995 million, the university announced Friday.

Ohio State has reached a $1.995 million settlement agreement with about 60 additional victims of former university physician Richard Strauss, the university announced Friday. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

Ohio State will settle with nearly 60 more victims of former university physician Richard Strauss, the university announced Friday.

An expected 57 plaintiffs will join a pair of settlement agreements in exchange for dropping their lawsuits against the university, according to a university press release. The settlement averaged $35,000 per victim, totaling $1.995 million.

Strauss was a varsity team sports doctor and physician at the Student Health Center from 1978-1998. An independent investigation concluded in 2019 that Strauss sexually abused at least 177 students and student-athletes during his tenure, and that university officials were aware of the abuse and failed to prevent or address it.

Strauss died by suicide in 2005.

“Our deepest gratitude goes to the survivors of Strauss’ abuse for their courage in coming forward,” University President Kristina M. Johnson said in the release. “They brought this terrible abuse to light, and the university is committed to continuing to work toward restorative justice.”

Since 2018, more than 500 victims of Strauss — nearly all men — have sued the university for failing to address Strauss’ abuse and harassment. Including the most recent settlement, 289 victims have settled with the university for a total of $59.79 million. The first two settlements, announced in May and October 2020, averaged $252,000 per plaintiff.

In September 2021, a federal judge dismissed lawsuits filed by more than 300 victims against the university for being filed past the two-year statute of limitations for civil sexual abuse cases. The settlement comes after about 100 victims appealed the lower court decision to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court has not decided if it will hear oral arguments in the case.

According to the release, the plaintiffs were part of seven more recent lawsuits ineligible for the Strauss Individual Settlement Program. The university established the individual settlement program in May 2021 for individual plaintiffs to leave their lawsuits and be eligible for up to $252,551 under a five-tiered system, with additional money granted on a case-by-case basis.