Ohio State University has reached a $100 million settlement with nearly 300 former students who had accused physician Richard Strauss of sexually assaulting them decades ago.
As reported by Jasper Ward for Reuters, the settlement with 279 of the 280 former students, ratified Wednesday by the university's board, follows years of litigation, with the abuse occurring from 1978 to 1998, the year of Strauss retired.
"The mediation and its confidentiality are continuing as the parties work to finalize the details of the settlements, and additional information will be shared as appropriate," the school and a lawyer for the victims said in a joint statement.
Ohio State has been settling with Strauss victims since 2000, but not at this scale.
Related: Ohio State Settles With Some Strauss Victims
In February, the university reached eight additional settlements, bringing the total to 304 survivors and more than $60 million, per Ward's report.
"Strauss, who killed himself in 2005, was employed by Ohio State's athletics department and medical staff for nearly two decades," Ward wrote. "A 2019 report detailing the investigative findings said that Strauss had sexually abused at least 177 men, nearly all of whom were students, and that university staff who knew of the abuse failed to act. The abuse included groping and fondling of the students' genitals and other acts under the guise of a medical examination.
