The lawsuit was filed by 4 female students at USC who claim they were sexually assaulted during exams by Dr. George Tyndall, who was formerly the only staff gynecologist at the Student Health Center.
The women are represented by John Manly, a lawyer in Orange County who recently won a $500 million settlement against Dr. Larry Nassar, a convicted child molester at Michigan State University.
Dr. Tyndall was suspended from USC in 2016, after a frustrated nurse reported him to the campus rape crisis center because her complaints to administrators at the Student Health Center were ignored.
USC has determined that Dr. Tyndall’s pelvic exams were outside the scope of medical practice and amounted to sexual harassment.
Investigators also discovered that Dr. Tyndall “routinely made sexually and racially inappropriate remarks to patients, kept a secret box full of photographs of his patients’ genitals, and had documented complaints against him lodged to USC dating back to at least the year 2000.”
USC has now received at least 200 reports from former patients detailing years of misconduct complaints. The university also admitted that he should have been removed from his job several years ago.
Last summer, USC reached a secret deal with Tyndall that allowed him to quietly resign with an undisclosed financial settlement.
Lawyers for the women who were assaulted now accuse USC of deliberately concealing Dr. Tyndall’s sexual abuse since the 1990s to avoid scandal, protect the university’s reputation, and their finances.
The first plaintiff claims Dr. Tyndall groped and sexually abused her at least 8 times from 2003 to 2007, under the pretext of medical care. Each time, he penetrated her vagina up to his wrist with his bare hand. He also made “vulgar and demeaning” comments about her genitalia.
The second plaintiff saw Dr. Tyndall in 2008 for a routine check-up. She says he forced her to strip naked, groped her breasts, used his fingers to penetrate her vagina, told her she likely had AIDS, and asked sexually inappropriate questions — including whether she had ever swallowed semen before — for his own sexual gratification.
In May 2015, she reported his inappropriate conduct to USC’s Clinical Instructor for Family Medicine. Despite her detailed complaint, she says USC continued to allow Dr. Tyndall unfettered access to women.
The third plaintiff accuses Dr. Tyndall of forcing her to remove all of her clothes, groping her breasts with his ungloved hands, and penetrating her vagina with his fingers — even when she told him to stop due to the pain. Furthermore, he refused to administer a pap smear or discharge test, which was the purpose of her appointment.
The fourth plaintiff accuses Dr. Tyndall of penetrating her vagina with his fingers and making sexual comments. She says he also grazed his ungloved fingers over her entire naked body and breasts, and spread her naked buttocks cheeks to leer at her crevice and anus. He also asked her inappropriate questions about anal and oral sex.
All of the plaintiffs were sexually abused while a chaperone from USC stood by silently and took no action to prevent or report his behavior.
The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys John C. Manly, Vince W. Finaldi, Alex E. Cunny, and Jane E. Reilley of the law offices of Manley Stewart & Finaldi in Irvine, California.
The plaintiffs are also represented by attorneys Ronald T. Labriola and Thomas M. Moore of The Senators (Ret.) Firm, LLP in Irvine, California.
The lawsuit was filed on May 21, 2018 in the Superior Court of the State of California (Los Angeles County) — In RE: Jane Doe 1, et al. v. Dr. George Tyndall, et al. — Case No. BC706844.
Source: 5 women sue USC, alleging they were victimized by campus gynecologist
If you or a loved one believe you have been subjected to sexual assault, abuse, or harassment by Dr. George Tyndall or any other USC employee, Schmidt & Clark, LLP can help.
All inquiries to the firm are absolutely confidential, and if you decide to pursue a claim, California law allows victims of sexual abuse or assault to remain nameless for privacy reasons.
If you provide the firms the opportunity to represent you, you will not be responsible for any legal fees unless they achieve a settlement or judgment on your behalf.
With almost $1 Billion recovered on behalf of sexual abuse victims Nationwide, these law firms have the experience you need.
To learn more about the USC sexual abuse lawsuit, please click the link below.