$851.6 Million Settlement Obtained in George Tyndall USC Scandal

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Mar 27, 2021, 10:42 ET

IRVINE, Calif., March 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hodes Milman, LLP, has secured a settlement in the amount of $851.6 million on behalf of victims who were sexually abused and assaulted by George Tyndall at the University of Southern California (USC). The settlement is the largest sexual abuse settlement in history — larger than those involving the Catholic Church and the Michigan State University incidents.

Jeff Milman, a senior partner of Orange County-based Hodes Milman, stated:

"On behalf of our entire law firm, my partner Dan Hodes, and my hard-working colleagues, John Manly, Vince Finaldi, Andy Rubenstein, and Michael Pierce and other dedicated legal teams, it gives me great pride to know that we have been able to financially recover on behalf of over 850 women who may now close this chapter in their lives. We worked together in an unprecedented action, changing California laws so all sexual assault survivors could seek justice even after decades had passed, and remain anonymous to protect their identities. USC's cooperation in resolving these claims is acknowledged, and we hope this sends a message for the future that sexual accusations must be handled swiftly or the consequences will be severe."

The former USC gynecologist's conduct included inappropriate touching, photographing sensitive body parts, making inappropriate comments about their bodies, and performing medically unnecessary physical exams. He surrendered his medical license, as hundreds of women came forward with allegations of misconduct against Tyndall.

These experiences have left many of the victims with deep-seated trauma and long-term psychological damage. The financial compensation provided by the settlement will help victims obtain the resources and justice needed for their losses.

The grand total awarded is $851.6 million for 710 plaintiffs. This is broken down into two settlements of $842.4 million for 702 plaintiffs and $9.2 million for 8 plaintiffs.

The case average for Hodes Milman clients who were assaulted by Tyndall is about $1.2 million. This is significantly larger than those who joined the class action, who on average received around $2500 or higher per case.

In addition to the monetary payouts, Hodes Milman also achieved significant changes to the statute of limitations for these cases, allowing more victims to come forward and obtain legal remedies.

Also, USC will make changes to its school policies and operations to improve the safety of its students and prevent future abuse from happening. For instance, the school will now maintain a centralized record-keeping system to track misconduct complaints and monitor the responses of school officials.

Hodes Milman worked in conjunction with other lawyers from firms located throughout the country to secure the settlement.

For over 30 years, the attorneys at Hodes Milman have worked hard to make Southern California a safer place by holding negligent parties accountable for their actions.

The firm provides legal support for families and individuals located throughout Southern California in counties such as Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Riverside.

SOURCE Hodes Milman, LLP