COLUMBUS (WCMH) – A judge has dismissed the cases of dozens of alumni against Ohio State University related to alleged sexual abuse of a former OSU doctor.
On Wednesday, Judge Michael H. Watson announced the dismissal on the grounds that the statute of limitations had expired.
Plaintiffs alleged that while Dr. Richard Strauss had been sexually abused, claiming the university ignored the abuse.
In the past few weeks, Watson had been asked to back out of the case because of a conflict of interest over his wife’s financial ties to the school.
More than 300 men filed lawsuits against Ohio State University, alleging the school ignored complaints of sexual abuse for 20 years, from 1979 to 1998.
The plaintiffs were students at OSU from 1974 to 2000.
Strauss left the university in 1998. He died of suicide in 2005.
Ohio State University issued the following dismissal statement:
As of 2018, Ohio State attempted to expose, and recognize the truth about Richard Strauss’s abuse and the university’s failure at the time to prevent it. We are forever grateful to the survivors who participated in the independent investigation into Perkins Coie, which could not have been completed without their strength and courage, and we apologize to all who witnessed Strauss’ abuse.
The university has reached settlement agreements with more than 230 surviving dependents and continues to cover the costs for the professionally certified advice and treatment of those affected by Strauss.
Court documents signed by Watson state: “It is also true that many plaintiffs and other students have complained about the abuse of Strauss over the years, and yet doctors, sports directors, head and assistant coaches, sports coaches and program directors do not have these victims protected from Strauss’ predator. “
The first case against Ohio State University was filed on July 16, 2018.
In Watson’s decision to dismiss one of two cases Brian Garrett et. al., vs. Ohio State UniversityHe writes, “Since these cases were filed, Ohio lawmakers have had the power, but no will, to change the statute of limitations for these plaintiffs.”
