Ohio State to Pay $100 Million to Settle Abuse Claims

Ohio State University has agreed to pay approximately $100 million to settle legal claims from 279 former students who said they were sexually abused decades ago by a campus doctor. The university’s Board of Trustees approved the preliminary agreement on Wednesday, marking a significant step toward resolving an eight-year legal battle.

The settlement involves all but one of the 280 former students who were part of five active federal lawsuits against the university. The parties are finalizing the details, and a joint statement said additional information will be shared when appropriate. The identity of the one former student not signing the agreement has not been disclosed.

The claims center on Dr. Richard Strauss, who worked at the university from 1978 until his retirement in 1998 and also operated an off-campus clinic. Strauss died by suicide in 2005. The allegations, which first gained widespread attention in 2018 after former wrestler Mike DiSabato came forward, state that Strauss abused students under the guise of medical examinations. The abuse included groping and fondling of students' genitals.

An independent investigation conducted by the law firm Perkins Coie and...