An additional 29 victims of former university physician Richard Strauss filed a lawsuit against Ohio State Monday. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Twenty-nine additional plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against Ohio State for knowledge of abuse by former university physician Richard Strauss Monday.
The plaintiffs — including one who said he was abused by Strauss as a minor and again as an Ohio State student — filed the lawsuit against the university “over its facilitation and coverup of Strauss’ decades of predation.” The lawsuit also mentions two more recent cases of sexual abuse by former university employees, which it claims is a side effect of the Ohio State’s failure to act in response to Strauss’ abuse.
The newest plaintiffs demand accountability, change and appropriate compensation, their attorneys said in a statement.
“The complaint filed today should serve as a reminder of the scale of the sexual abuse perpetrated by Dr. Strauss,” Adele Kimmel, an attorney representing numerous Strauss plaintiffs, said in a statement. “As Ohio State continues to act dismissively towards the many hundreds of men it has betrayed for decades, we continue to urge survivors to come forward to demand accountability and secure a safer future for Ohio State students.
Strauss was a physician at the university’s Student Wellness Center and the team doctor for 17 varsity sports from 1978-98. An independent investigation found in May 2019 that Strauss sexually abused at least 177 students and student-athletes during his time at the university and that Ohio State failed to act.
Strauss died by suicide in 2005.
One plaintiff in the newest lawsuit, who said he was abused for the first time at 16 years old, was competing for a wrestling state title in high school and cited at least two to four instances of abuse by Strauss at St. John Arena, the lawsuit states.
Later, as a student-athlete at the university, the plaintiff was abused by Strauss during at least two physical exams and at least eight medical appointments, according to the lawsuit.
“Ohio State remains committed to acknowledging the condemnable behavior of a medical doctor who so clearly betrayed his position of power and trust,” University President Kristina M. Johnson said in a statement May 7. “We once again thank the survivors for coming forward and the courage to bring this abuse to light.”
The lawsuit cited two other complaints of sexual abuse at the university after Strauss in 2014 against former director of Ohio State’s Marching Band Jonathan Waters and Will Bohonyi, an assistant diving coach.
Waters, an Ohio State Marching Band alumnus, served as the band’s director from 2012 to 2014 and was fired after a two-month-long investigation determined he was either aware of or reasonably should have been aware of the band’s culture, which was conducive to sexual harassment. The investigation deemed he didn’t do enough to address or prevent sexual harassment from happening.
Bohonyi was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old girl who was part of his diving club. He was sentenced to four years in prison which was later reduced to six months over COVID-19 concerns, according to WCBE.
The lawsuit stated by failing to take action regarding Strauss’ sexual abuse, the university created a culture that fosters more abuse in the future — laying the groundwork for Waters and Bohonyi’s cases.
Plaintiffs in Monday’s lawsuit are not eligible for the Strauss Individual Settlement Program, which was established May 7 to compensate victims involved in five prior lawsuits.
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