Richard Strauss sexual abuse: Seven more survivors settle with Ohio State

The Ohio State University announced Friday that it has reached settlements with seven more sexual abuse survivors in cases involving former university doctor Richard Strauss, bringing the total thus far to nearly 300 survivors who have been paid more than $60 million.

The payout on the seven most recent settlements totals approximately $247,000, according to a university press release. Ohio State has now reached settlements with more than half of the outstanding plaintiffs.

"We continue to work toward restorative justice for survivors," Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson said in a prepared statement. "This doctor’s conduct was abhorrent, and we are grateful for the survivors’ strength and courage."

Those covered by Friday's agreements had filed lawsuits related to sexual abuse committed by Strauss but were too late to be eligible for mediations in federal court and the individual settlement program established by Ohio State in May 2021, the university said.

All plaintiffs participating in the settlement must dismiss their claims against Ohio State, but the settlement does not prohibit them from talking about Strauss’ abuse publicly.

The latest agreements follow settlements reached in April 2022, October 2020, May 2020 and March 2020. No taxpayer, tuition or restricted donor funds were used in the settlement payments, the university said.

The latest settlements also come on the eve of oral arguments being heard in an appeals case against the university. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case of Stephen Snyder-Hill, et al. v. The Ohio State University beginning Tuesday morning.

The court will hear arguments from attorneys representing Stephen Snyder-Hill — a former Ohio State athlete who has long accused the university of mishandling his sexual assault allegations against Strauss — and more than 80 other plaintiffs appealing a U.S. District Court’s decision from November to dismiss their case on statute of limitations grounds.

Strauss was employed as an Ohio State physician from 1978 to 1998. He died by suicide in 2005.

Editor's Note: Due to a reporter's error, a previous version of this story incorrectly indicated Friday's settlement covered nearly 300 more survivors when that is actually the total number of survivors who have reached settlements to date. 

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 settles with seven more survivors of Richard Strauss abuse