More ex-students sue OSU over Strauss
An additional 30 former Ohio State University students have filed a lawsuit against the school, alleging that university officials knew about sexual abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss but failed to address it.
Most of the plaintiffs in the suit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Columbus are former student-athletes from a number of sports, including about a dozen former football players. They are all listed as anonymous John Does.
The plaintiffs are represented by Dayton attorney Michael Wright, who is representing another group of former OSU student-athletes — mostly football players — in a separate, companion case filed in May.
Like the earlier case, Wright said, Monday’s suit includes former studentathletes who went on to play professionally.
Monday’s suit is at least the seventh filed against the university over Strauss’ abuse. Combined, the cases include nearly 160 plaintiffs.
An investigative report released in May found that Strauss abused at least 177 former students during his nearly 20 years of employment with the university. It also found that Ohio State employees knew about Strauss’ misconduct and repeatedly failed to act to stop it.
The university had moved to dismiss previous lawsuits, arguing that the statute of limitations for the men’s claims had expired. A federal judge referred those cases to mediation.
Plaintiffs expressed disappointment after initial mediation meetings last month. Meanwhile, a bill introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives would extend the statute of limitations for Strauss’ victims, clearing the way for them to sue.
The complaint filed Monday alleges that Ohio State violated federal Title IX rules. The university knew about Strauss’ “serial sexual assault” but “did not address the complaints and concerns about Strauss,” the complaint said.
Most of the plaintiffs were subjected to excessive and medically unnecessary genital exams or other inappropriate touching during physicals, the complaint said, and some left their teams or the university early, or sought counseling.
University officials eventually conducted a limited investigation into Strauss in 1996, after which he was told that his services as a physician seeing student patients in student health services and athletics would no longer be needed. He voluntarily retired from Ohio State in 1998.
Strauss died by suicide in 2005 after moving to California.
“There are plaintiffs still coming forward as a result of abuse by Dr. Strauss,” Wright told The Dispatch on Tuesday. “We are still hoping that Ohio State does the right thing related to all these victims of sexual abuse.”
Ohio State spokesman Chris Davey said in an emailed statement Tuesday that the university is grateful to those who have come forward to share what happened to them.
“We remain deeply concerned for all those who have been affected by Strauss’ actions, and we remain committed to the mediation process outlined by the federal court,” Davey said.
The university also is covering the cost of counseling services for students affected by Strauss, and in May, it announced a task force to address sexual abuse on college campuses.