Richard Strauss abuse: Ohio State reaches two more settlements with sexual abuse survivors

Ohio State University reached two more settlement agreements totaling nearly $2 million with more than 50 sexual abuse survivors in cases involving former university doctor Richard Strauss.

The university has settled with 289 survivors thus far, more than half of the plaintiffs whose lawsuits were dismissed by a federal court judge last fall. Altogether, these settlements total nearly $60 million.

“Our deepest gratitude goes to the survivors of Strauss’ abuse for their courage in coming forward,” OSU President Kristina M. Johnson said in a statement. “They brought this terrible abuse to light, and the university is committed to continuing to work toward restorative justice.”

More on the Strauss case: 'We want to be heard': Strauss survivors plead with OSU trustees to help them get justice

57 survivors receive settlements

Under the two new agreements, approximately 57 survivors from seven lawsuits, represented by five law firms, will receive an average settlement of $35,000. In addition, participating plaintiffs agree to dismiss their claims against the university. The settlement does not, however, prohibit individuals from talking about Strauss’ abuse.

"Our clients are pleased to have resolved this matter and wish to express their support for all the victims of Richard Strauss," said John Camillus, of the John C. Camillus law firm, and attorneys Ben Bianco and Mitch Schuster. of Meister Seelig & Fein, who representing some of the survivors.

In May 2021, Ohio State announced a new individual settlement program for plaintiffs in several outstanding lawsuits. Ohio State committed paying out settlements up to an average of about $252,000 per plaintiff as part of that program to settle with more survivors.

Those included in the two most-recent settlements had filed lawsuits too late to be eligible for federal court mediations and for last year's settlement program.

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To date there have been three previous settlements with other Strauss survivors, two through a court-administered mediation process and one through Ohio State’s public settlement program.

Strauss was a university-employed physician from 1978 to 1998. He died by suicide in 2005.

In 2019, investigators hired by Ohio State determined that Strauss sexually abused at least 177 students over a 20-year period, and that Ohio State's administration repeatedly failed to act.

Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter at the Columbus Dispatch. You can reach her at shendrix@dispatch.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @sheridan120. Sign up for her Mobile Newsroom newsletter here and her education newsletter here.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State reaches settlements with more Richard Strauss survivors