Ohio State University's board of trustees has approved a $100 million settlement to resolve lawsuits filed by survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by Richard Strauss, a physician who treated students at the institution for two decades.
Strauss worked at Ohio State from 1978 to 1998 and sexually abused male students who sought medical treatment. An independent investigation commissioned by the university in 2018 determined that Strauss had abused at least 177 male students. The investigation also revealed that university officials had received complaints about Strauss as early as 1979 but failed to take action to stop him. Strauss died in 2005.
As of February, Ohio State had already reached settlement agreements totaling more than $60 million with more than 100 survivors. More than 100 additional plaintiffs had litigation still pending at that time. The new $100 million settlement represents the final resolution of the formal litigation process, with all but one of the Strauss survivors agreeing to settle with the university.
The university stated that none of the settlements involved taxpayer funds, tuition money, or restricted donor funds, according to reporting by the National Public Radio affiliate WOSU.
The Ohio State case emerged during a challenging period for the institution. The university faced significant backlash surrounding former trustee and prominent alumnus Les Wexner, a retail mogul with a well-documented relationship with late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Following Wexner's congressional testimony about his connection to the disgraced Epstein in February, growing calls emerged for the university to remove Wexner's name from campus and health system facilities.
The settlement came shortly after Ohio State's president, Walter "Ted" Carter Jr., resigned following disclosure of an inappropriate relationship. Carter, who had led the university since 2024, stated that he "made a mistake in allowing inappropriate access to Ohio State leadership." The board accepted his resignation after determining he "had an inappropriate relationship with someone seeking public resources to support her personal business." Board Chair John Zeiger said the board was "surprised and disappointed" to learn of the matter and emphasized that it "takes the situation and its potential impact on the university very seriously."
Carter had previously served as president of the University of Nebraska from 2020 to 2023. He succeeded Kristina Johnson, who resigned from Ohio State in November 2022.
Ohio State has implemented new policies and procedures aimed at preventing similar abuse in the future, including enhanced reporting mechanisms and mandatory training for staff who work with students. The university has apologized to survivors and acknowledged that it failed to protect students during the Strauss period.