Ohio State has spent nearly $1.5 million in legal fees pertaining to the investigation into former Ohio State physician Richard Strauss, according to invoices obtained by The Lantern.

Richard Strauss in his Ohio State College of Medicine photograph. Ohio State has filed to have three lawsuits dismissed regarding its handling of the accusations against Strauss. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State

The three law firms — Carpenter Lipps & Leland, LLP, Perkins Coie, LLP and Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, LLP — have each taken on a different role involving Strauss, in which 145 former students reported firsthand accounts of sexual abuse at the hands of the doctor, who died in 2006.

Perkins Coie received $1,379,966.30, Carpenter Lipps & Leland received $71,129.90 and Porter Wright Morris & Arthur received $30,806.75.

The most recent invoice recorded occurred on Aug. 17 in a $604,290.95 payment to Perkins Coie.

The invoices do not provide a description of how much work has been done by the three law firms, only displaying the invoice date, ID number, firm and payment. A records request by The Lantern for contracts of the three law firms is pending.

Porter Wright Morris & Arthur is a law firm located in Columbus appointed by the Ohio Attorney General to serve as Ohio State’s legal counsel.

Columbus-based Carpenter Lipps & Leland has been the legal representative for Ohio State in any lawsuits the university faces as a result of the Strauss investigation.

Perkins Coie, a Seattle-based law firm, was hired by Porter Wright Morris & Arthur to conduct the investigation into Strauss.

Ohio State did not respond to comment by the time of publication.

An investigation was opened in April into allegations that Strauss sexually abused Ohio State students and student-athletes while employed by the university between 1978 and 1998. Strauss was a former team physician and student health services doctor at Ohio State.

Ohio State has filed motions to dismiss three lawsuits it currently faces from accusers on Sept. 7 on statute of limitations grounds.

There are currently two class-action lawsuits and a third lawsuit claiming that then-Ohio State employees knew about the alleged misconduct from Strauss and did nothing to stop it from happening.

The university argued the plaintiffs are claiming remedies under Title IX law, and that Title IX in Ohio has a statute of limitation of two years.