The University of Southern California agreed to pay $215 million to students who were patients of former college gynecologist George Tyndall, in a settlement announced Friday.

Tyndall was accused by over 50 patients in a class-action lawsuit of inappropriate behavior, including unnecessary pelvic exams and sexual assault of patients by digitally penetrating them.

Former patients said he demanded they return multiple times a year for pelvic exams when there was no medical need.

The lawsuit also stated that Tyndall spoke inappropriately to patients, quizzing them on their favorite sexual positions and making lewd comments about patients while they were undressed.

Tyndall spent nearly 30 years as the only full-time gynecologist at USC. He left the university in 2017 after an investigation into claims against him, although the college acknowledged it had received complaints about his behavior dating back to the 1990s.

More than 500 former patients of Tyndall's have come forward accusing him of inappropriate behavior in recent months.

In an interview with the LA Times earlier this year, Tyndall maintained he had done nothing wrong and that his behavior was appropriate.



On Thursday, 93 new lawsuits were announced accusing Tyndall of misconduct and sexual assault, bringing the total to over 400 lawsuits filed against him and USC.

The law firm Manley Stewart Finaldi, which is representing 180 of Tyndall's alleged victims, issued a statement Friday: "[This settlement] is nothing more than a ruse by USC to pay pennies on the dollar of the true value of these cases without being held accountable for its role in enabling Tyndall’s abuse."

The firm previously represented victims of Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing young female athletes, in a case that ended with a $500 million settlement from Michigan State University.

Announcing the $215 million settlement of the class action, interim university president Wanda Austin said in a statement that the college will compensate anyone who was a patient of Tyndall's.

