The US Supreme Court has declined to hear two cases involving sexual abuse by a former Ohio State University doctor, Richard Strauss. This decision allows more than 230 men to proceed with lawsuits against the university over decades-old sexual abuse. The men are among hundreds of former student-athletes and other alumni who say they were abused by Strauss, who worked at the school from 1978 to 1998. The university had urged the court to review a ruling by the Sixth US Circuit Court of Appeals that revived lawsuits that had been dismissed.
The Supreme Court on Monday left in place a decision that allows more than 230 men to sue Ohio State University over decades-old sexual abuse by a university doctor, the late Richard Strauss. The court did not comment on its decision not to hear the cases, which were among many on a list. The men who sued are among hundreds of former student-athletes and other alumni who say they were abused by Strauss, who worked at the school from 1978 to 1998. They allege that university officials failed to stop him despite complaints raised as early as the late 1970s. Many of them claim that Strauss abused them during required physicals and other medical exams at campus athletic facilities, a student health center, his home, and an off-campus clinic.
Strauss killed himself in 2005 at age 67. In 2018, the university announced an investigation into Strauss’ abuse and the university’s conduct. It has apologized to his victims and reached over $60 million in settlements with at least 296 people. However, the university eventually sought to have the remaining unsettled cases dismissed, arguing that the time limit for the claims had long passed. The remaining plaintiffs have argued that they filed timely claims and that the time limit didn’t start running until the 2018 investigation into Strauss’ abuse made his conduct public.
In a statement, lawyers for the plaintiffs said they were pleased the Supreme Court decided not to hear the cases. “We look forward to returning to the trial court, having our clients’ stories heard, and gathering further evidence of OSU’s widespread cover-up of Dr. Strauss’s serial predation,” they said.
The decision by the Supreme Court not to hear the cases is a significant victory for the plaintiffs, who can now proceed with their lawsuits against Ohio State University. The university has already settled with many of Strauss’ victims, but the remaining plaintiffs believe that the university failed to protect them from Strauss and covered up his abuse. The lawsuits will now return to the trial court, where the plaintiffs hope to have their stories heard and gather further evidence of the university’s conduct.