Reports of mass sexual assaults have come to public attention in the last few years in a number of major industries, including the sports, movie, and medical industries.

MSU Sexual Assault Settlement

Among the most prominent cases is that of Larry Nassar, the former U.S.A. Gymnastics and Michigan State University (MSU) physician sentenced to prison for using his position to assault hundreds of young women.

Nassar worked as MSU for around 20 years. Women claim that they made complaints about his conduct since at least the late 1990s, but nothing was done until the scandal recently came to light. Many claim that the University enabled the abuse for years and ignored those with complaints. This has led to a number of MSU leaders losing their jobs, including former president Lou Anna K. Simon.

Consequences for the school now include a significant settlement as well. A $500 million MSU sexual assault settlement has been reached, meant to compensate his victims and also allotting money for those who may have not yet come forward with their own accounts.

This MSU sexual assault settlement is reportedly the largest sexual abuse settlement with an American university, and far exceeds both the settlement from the Pennsylvania State University sex abuse scandal and many of the child sex abuse settlements in the Roman Catholic Church.

The size of the settlement is notable, and it may be an indication of how seriously schools and industries are starting to take these issues.

“I think the number being so large sends a message that is undeniable, that something really terrible happened here and that Michigan State owns it,” said  a lawyer for a number of the hundreds of women who sued in the MSU sexual assault lawsuit, speaking to the New York Times. “When you pay half a billion dollars, it’s an admission of responsibility.”

The MSU sexual assault settlement is just the first step in lawsuits over Nassar. There are still lawsuits against U.S.A. Gymnastics, the United States Olympic Committee, and more. This MSU sexual assault settlement may put pressure on these organizations for similar outcomes.

Another major sexual assault case in the news is that of former USC gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall, accused of using his position to assault his patients. So far, more than 50 women have come forward with accusations against Tyndall.

For context, during his time at USC, Tyndall examined more than 20,000 patients. A number of USC students have filed sexual assault lawsuits against the University of Southern California (USA) alleging that Tyndall used his position as a USC gynecologist to sexually assault patients, even though multiple medical staff and patients complained.

According to lawsuits, USC failed to address Tyndall’s behavior despite decades of reports from those in his care about sexual misconduct and assault.