The Department of Education will require the University of Southern California to make changes in an effort to better protect students from sexual violation and assault.

This requirement was made in light of numerous allegations that USC gynecologist George Tyndall had sexually harassed and assaulted patients during his employment at the university, as well as other scandals, such as the Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal.

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos criticized the university’s handling of the issue, saying that employees at the university “turned a blind eye to evidence that Dr. Tyndall was preying on students for years.” 

The Department of Education conducted an investigation into USC’s handling of the Tyndall cases, examining if the university’s conduct complied with Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education.

What Is Being Done to Address the Issue?

To ensure that the school does change its policies around sexual assault, the university will be monitored for compliance with Title IX for three years, reports the New York Times. The university will improve its policies around responding to Title IX claims, and will also improve training to help employees best respond to such claims.

Per the terms of the university’s agreement with the Department of Education, the school will also conduct reviews of the conduct of those involved with alleged assaults committed by Dr. Tyndall. In light of the review, the university will also take steps to determine if disciplinary action should be taken against those involved.

USC has also agreed to reach out to patients who may have been harmed by Tyndall, and provide them with compensation for their alleged sexual violation.

George Tyndall has been charged with a total of 29 counts of sexual penetration and sexual battery, in light of his actions towards patients in his care. The New York Times explains that if Tyndall is found guilty, he may face up to 53 years in prison. He currently claims that he did not commit any wrongdoing.

The Department of Education began its investigation into the university’s handling of the issue in 2018. Tyndall worked at the university between 1989 and 2017. The investigation indicated that the staff had been aware of Tyndall’s alleged misdeeds since around 2000, but failed to take action. 

How Did Tyndall Allegedly Violate Patients?

Allegedly, Tyndall made a habit of making inappropriately sexual comments to patients during their exams, would conduct pelvic exams without wearing gloves and would photograph patients’ genitals.

This year, a judge indicated he was inclined to approve the largest sexual abuse settlement in history, requiring USC to pay $215 million to compensate around 18,000 patients allegedly affected by Tyndall’s abuse. The payouts from the settlement will range from $2,500 to $250,000 depending on the kind of abuse suffered. 

The terms of the settlement also require the university to conduct background checks for healthcare workers and give patients a choice of which gender health care provider they would prefer to work with. 

Patients who had filed sexual violation lawsuits against the university and Tyndall had argued that the school did not do enough to handle allegations of abuse — the women claim that the school did not immediately report allegations of abuse to the medical board, nor did they make the allegations against Tyndall available to the public until the Los Angeles Times began to investigate the issue.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.