Former USC Students Sue University, Claiming They Were Sexually Abused by Campus Gynecologist
Five former University of Southern California students filed a lawsuit against the college, alleging they were molested by Dr. George Tyndall, the campus gynecologist.
Four of the plaintiffs are represented by attorney John Manly. The fifth woman filed a separate lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Tyndall groped, looked at and made inappropriate comments toward the women. He also performed procedures “for no legitimate medical purpose and for no other reason than to satisfy his own prurient sexual desires.”
One of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit said that Tyndall molested her eight times between 2004 and 2007. Another plaintiff alleged she was molested three times between 2008 and 2014, even when there was a chaperone in the room. A third woman said the exam hurt so bad that she told Tyndall to stop, while a fourth woman sad he put his ungloved hands all over her naked body.
In the second lawsuit, a woman who graduated from USC’s law school in 2016 said Tyndall put his fingers inside of her during a pelvic exam and talked about the tightness of her genital muscles.
“She’s in hindsight thinking, ‘I’m not sure there’s a reason for that to be done,'” said her attorney, David Ring.
The lawsuit claims that USC tried to cover up Tyndall’s history, but USC Provost Michael Quick said that isn’t true.
“It is true that our system failed, but it is important that you know that this claim of a cover-up is patently false. We would never knowingly put students in harm’s way,” he said.
The university said that it started termination proceedings against Tyndall in 2017, but he threatened to file a lawsuit that would allege he was being retaliated against for complaints about the health center and discriminated against for his age and gender.
“Rather than engage in protracted litigation, the university entered into a separation agreement with Dr. Tyndall in order to sever ties with him immediately,” USC said in a statement.
Manly graduated from USC, so he feels especially close to this case. He said the whole ordeal makes him sick to his stomach and urges the school president to resign and the board of trustees to acknowledge the school’s responsibility.
“The board needs to look at these women not as adversaries, but as members of the USC family who have been greatly wronged,” he said.
Tyndall continues to deny the allegations against him. During an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said his exams were thorough and intended to protect the health of Trojan women.
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