Ohio State University has agreed to pay $100 million in an out-of-court settlement with nearly 300 alumni who accused it of failing to protect them from sexual abuse by a campus doctor over several decades.
The agreement, announced Wednesday, covers 279 of the 280 plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit. It was officially approved by the university's board of trustees, ending a long legal battle that had lasted several years.
The victims claimed to have been sexually abused by Richard Strauss, a former doctor at the institution. According to the accusations brought before the courts, the assaults allegedly took place over several decades while Strauss was working at the university.
This case deeply affected the institution and sparked a broad debate in the United States about the responsibility of universities in the face of reports of sexual abuse. The plaintiffs argued, in particular, that the institution had failed to take the necessary steps to prevent the doctor's actions despite repeated warnings.
The $100 million financial settlement is one of the largest resolutions related to sexual abuse in American universities. It aims to compensate former students while avoiding lengthy court proceedings.
The university did not specify how the compensation would be distributed among the victims, but indicated that the agreement represented an important step toward closing the book on one of the most serious scandals in its recent history. For the plaintiffs, the decision also signifies an acknowledgment of the suffering they endured and the need for accountability after decades of silence.
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