University to pay USD 215m over gynecologist's sex abuse scandal

The University of Southern California (USC) said Friday it has reached agreement in principle on a 215-million-U.S. dollar class action settlement with former patients of a campus gynecologist who has been accused of sexual abuse.

Dr. George Tyndall had worked as the only full-time gynecologist at the USC student clinic for nearly 30 years. The complaints against Tyndall include improperly photographing students' genitals, touching women inappropriately during pelvic exams and making sexually suggestive remarks about their bodies.

"By doing so, we hope that we can help our community move collectively toward reconciliation. I regret that any student ever felt uncomfortable, unsafe, or mistreated in any way as a result of the actions of a university employee," said USC Interim President Wanda Austin in a statement.

Austin was appointed interim USC president in August, replacing C. L. Max Nikias who agreed to step down amid the scandal.

The settlement provides compensation of 2,500 dollars to all former patients who received women's health services from Tyndall. Patients who are willing to provide further details about their experience could be eligible for additional compensation up to 250,000 dollars, according to the statement.

Class action settlement must be approved by the court. The entire approval process can take six to eight months, or more.

"Following the expected court approval, all class members will be sent a notice of their options under the settlement in the coming months," said Austin, noting that the announcement is an important step forward but "it is only the beginning of our journey."

The settlement will be one of the largest settlements to be reached by a U.S. university facing accusations of sexual misconduct.

The announcement came after 93 more former female students filed new lawsuits Thursday against USC for failing to address complaints about the campus gynecologist. The new claims brought the number of women suing the university to more than 400.

The latest information about the settlement and a summary of change actions is available in Chinese translation on the university's official website.

The Los Angeles Times reported in May that some colleagues of Tyndall feared the gynecologist was targeting the university's growing population of Chinese students in recent years. Those Chinese students often had limited knowledge of the English language and American medical norms.

The Consulate General of China in Los Angeles expressed serious concern over the scandal on May 16, requesting the university to take serious steps to investigate the issue and to protect Chinese students from such illegal acts. The Chinese Students and Scholars Association, a major Chinese student organization at USC, also urged Chinese students to bravely speak up in any violation of their rights.

According to Deng Law Center in Los Angeles, three former Chinese students have joined the lawsuits against the university in May.

The USC has established a hotline for complaints about Tyndall's sexual harassment and misconduct and said it would take measures for significant and sustainable change.

The USC Student Health organization promised to provide more medical resources in Chinese for international students from China, including recruiting a new Chinese-speaking medical assistant.

The USC is a leading private research university located in Los Angeles in the U.S. State of California. A total of 45,500 students were enrolled in the 2017-2018 academic year, including around 5,400 from the Chinese mainland, accounting for about half of the USC's international enrollment, according to the university's Office of International Services.