USC Class Action Says College Gynecologist Sexually Abused Patients

Two lawsuits filed by five women seek to hold the University of Southern California responsible for alleged sexual assaults committed by university staff gynecologist George Tyndall.

In one state lawsuit, four anonymous women claim that Dr. George Tyndall sexually assaulted them when they visited his gynecological practice for medical care during their time as students at the University of Southern California.

In a separate, federally filed USC class action lawsuit, Lucy Chi makes similar claims of sexual assault, proposing a Class of all female students who experienced inappropriate sexual behavior by Tyndall.

The two suits seek to hold Tyndall accountable for his actions and aims to hold the University of Southern California responsible. The USC class action lawsuit filed by Chi also claims that the university’s Board of Trustees are accountable for allegedly allowing Tyndall to continue abusing patients for years.

The USC lawsuits state that Tyndall started working at the university in 1989. Allegedly, chaperones working in Tyndall’s medical office brought complaints of his actions forward to a supervising nurse, who in turn, reported the claims to the supervisor of the clinic.

However, the plaintiffs claim that the university took no action other than to require that Tyndall not lock his exam room door while seeing patients. The University of Southern California lawsuit claims that Tyndall was allowed to continue to practice until 2017 when he was asked to “quietly resign.” The USC lawsuits allege that the university made no effort to take punitive action against Tyndall.

According to the USC class action lawsuit, during examinations of female patients, Tyndall would touch the patients in a way inconsistent with and unnecessary for a physical exam, in ways that were allegedly sexual. Additionally, Tyndall would reportedly ask women prying questions about their sex life, none of which were pertinent to a medical exam or yielded medically necessary information.

The women claim that during these exams, there were chaperones present who witnessed the alleged assaults. However, the women claim these chaperones did nothing to stop or protest the assaults, leading the women, in multiple cases, to believe that Tyndall’s actions were part of a legitimate medical exam. Multiple women concur that it was not until later that they realized they had been assaulted.

In the case of one patient, she did express discomfort and ask Tyndall to stop what he was doing, but he did not stop.

According to the USC class action lawsuit, Chi claims that “Tyndall moved his fingers in and out of her vagina, saying he wanted to loosen up her vaginal muscles for the speculum…Chi told Tyndall that was unnecessary, but he insisted the penetration and movement prevented discomfort. Tyndall’s conduct caused Chi significant distress, but she could not move at this point.”

An independent doctor consulted in the lawsuits confirmed that this action is unnecessary in a gynecological exam, calling Tyndall’s actions “creepy.”

The USC lawsuits claim that the university knew that Tyndall was abusing students as early as the 1990s, or at least in 2013, because of the reports brought forth by chaperones and nurses, but did nothing.

Allegedly, the university did not contact law enforcement, the attorney general, or the medical licensing board, in an attempt to avoid bad press and a lawsuit from Tyndall’s patients. Instead, they merely asked Tyndall to resign in 2017, entering into a separation agreement with the doctor, in response to his threat to sue the university.

The patients in the state lawsuit are represented by John C. Manly, Vince W. Finaldi, Alex E. Cunny and Jane E. Reilley of Manly Stewart & Finaldi and Ronald T. Labriola of The Senators (Ret.) Firm LLP.

Chi is represented by Christopher R. Piton, Steve W. Berman, Elizabeth A. Fegan, and Emily Brown of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP.

The UFC Lawsuit is Jane Doe 1, et al. v. Dr. George Tyndall, et al., Case No. BC706844, in the Superior Court for the State of California, in and for the County of Los Angeles; The UFC Class Action Lawsuit is Lucy Chi v. University of Southern California, et al., Case No. 2:18-cv-4258, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

UPDATE: July 2019, the USC, George Tyndall sexual misconduct class action settlement is now open.Click here to file a claim.