Ohio State will pay $100 million in damages to hundreds of former students who said that Dr. Richard Strauss sexually assaulted them when he was employed by the university.
During a meeting on Wednesday, the board of trustees unanimously approved the settlement with 279 of 280 survivors who came forward since 2018, when the ongoing legal battle began.
“The survivors of the Strauss abuse are all Buckeyes, will always be a part of our family and our community, and I firmly believe that,” said Ohio State president, Ravi Bellamkonda. “We continue to be very grateful to them for their courage in coming forward, and reaching a final resolution is very important to us and is an important step forward.”
The agreement is not yet finalized, and the terms will remain confidential until it is, but Ohio State board chair John Zeiger said that the university will provide more information when it is able to.
“It’s important we respect the court’s order and comply with the mediator’s directive,” Zeiger said. “But we will provide additional information on this resolution when we are positioned to do so.”
“Ohio State and 279 of the 280 individual remaining Richard Strauss survivors involved in the pending litigation have reached settlements in principle in a total amount of $100 million.,” the university and plaintiffs said in a joint statement after the board meeting. “The university’s Board of Trustees has now publicly ratified these agreements in principle, and all parties thank the mediators for their assistance. The mediation and its confidentiality are continuing as the parties work to finalize the details of the settlements, and additional information will be shared as appropriate.”
Before this most recent settlement, Ohio State had already settled with 317 other survivors for more than $61 million.
