U. of Southern California Settles With Patients of Gynecologist Accused of Abuses for $215 Million

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Patients of a former University of Southern California gynecologist accused of conducting inappropriate examinations and violating the campus’s harassment policy may receive up to $250,000 each in the settlement of a class action.

The university announced on Friday that it had reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit for $215 million. All former patients who received women’s health services from the gynecologist, George Tyndall, will receive $2,500. Former patients who share more details about what happened to them could receive up to $250,000, the university said.

The settlement, which is subject to the approval of the court hearing the lawsuit, is the latest to show the wide financial impact of sexual misconduct on college and universities whose employees misbehave. Michigan State University will pay $500 million to the victims of Larry Nassar, a former campus sports doctor who sexually abused patients for more than two decades.

College administrators elsewhere changed their own practices this year in the wake of those and other misconduct allegations. For example, some health centers have revised policies on doctor-patient interactions to protect students from harm and to defend themselves against legal, reputational, and financial woes that come with large-scale scandal.

At Southern California, the university concluded that Tyndall had made racially discriminatory and sexually inappropriate comments when he met with patients. Tyndall would digitally penetrate patients before inserting a speculum in examinations, staff members said. He remained on the staff despite many years of complaints.

“Dr. Tyndall vigorously defended his practices throughout the investigation,” the university wrote in a statement of fact published earlier this year.

The university’s findings against Tyndall were a tipping point in C.L. Max Nikias’s presidency at the private research institution. Nikias officially stepped down in August, months after he said he would leave his post. The university’s interim president on Friday encouraged former patients to check a campus website regularly for updates about the settlement. Former patients will receive a notice of their options in the coming months, wrote Wanda Austin in a letter.

“Many sweeping changes have been made, and we continue to work every day to prevent all forms of misconduct on our campuses, to provide outstanding care to all students, and to ensure we have policies and procedures that prioritize respect for our students and our entire university community,” she wrote.

Lindsay Ellis is a staff reporter. Follow her on Twitter @lindsayaellis, or email her at lindsay.ellis@chronicle.com.