COLUMBUS, Ohio — Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has filed a lawsuit against The Ohio State University on behalf of victims by Dr. Richard Strauss.
The lawsuit alleged that the university violated TItle IX regulations and the school was aware of the sexual abuse allegations.
"This was a grotesque perversion of power that deeply harmed people's lives. Every victim deserves justice. It is not for OSU to cherry pick which survivor gets to participate in a settlement program," Crump said. "Students on athletic scholarships, who are often minorities, have no option but to endure and then report sexual abuse because their educational opportunities are on the line."
Crump urged victims to come forward so they can seek justice before May 15.
The date would mark two years since the university released the investigative report, which found that Strauss had sexually abused at least 177 male student-patients while he was employed.
Strauss worked at the university as a physician from 1978 to 1998. He died in 2005.
Ohio State launched the initial investigation into the sexual assault allegations in 2018.
Student-athletes have filed lawsuits against the school in 2020, alleging that they were unnecessarily examined and sexually assaulted by Strauss.
The lawsuit alleged that university staff had knowledge of these incidents but failed to act in a timely manner.
Ohio State settled nearly half of the lawsuits against the school in 2020.
The university created a settlement program that could help resolve some of the claims over the alleged sexual misconduct by Strauss.
