USC Agrees to $1.1 Billion Settlement to Victims of Sex Abuse by Gynecologist

The University of Southern California has agreed to pay around $1 billion in settlement to women alleging health center gynecologist George Tyndall of sex abuse on his patients, the university announced.

The settlement covers a group of 710 women suing the university in the Los Angeles Superior Court. They settled their claims for $852 million.

On top of that, USC previously agreed to thousands other alumnae and students $215 million in 2018 as part of class settlement action, according to Los Angeles Times report.

The university also agreed to pay up to $25 million in legal fees.

Tyndall was a former longtime gynecologist at the USC and was charged with sexually assaulting 16 women at the student health center. During the first criminal counts in a case, USC has offered to pay $215 million to settle possibly thousands of claims, according to CBS News 2019 report.

The former gynecologist was accused of sexual misconduct between 2009 and 2016 and has pleaded not guilty.

USC said in a statement that it is pledged to reaching a fair agreement for its former students.

USC President Carol L. Folt said that she is deeply sorry for the pain experienced by valued members of the USC community.

"We appreciate the courage of all who came forward and hope this much needed resolution provides some relief to the women abused by George Tyndall," Folt was quoted in an NBC News report.

READ MORE: Nearly 90,000 Sexual Abuse Claims Filed Against Boy Scouts of America

The Case

Hundreds of women came forward to report their case to the police. However, some of those fell outside the 10-year criminal statute of limitations.

Others did not rise to the level of charges or lacked evidence to prosecute.

One USC law school graduate, who is now a sex crimes prosecutor in Ventura County, said that she saw Tyndall. She said and none of his victims should have ever seen Tyndall after her encounter.

"Like many, I was inexperienced in what a gynecological exam would entail. So, when he closed the door and locked it, I thought it was odd but what did I know?" Audry Nafziger was quoted in a report.

In addition, an investigation by the Department of Education's civil rights office found that USC mishandled the accusations against Tyndall during his employment at the university's health center. This could have potentially allowed the abuse to continue.

Many victims clamored for criminal charges to be filed against USC administrators who knew the abuse for decades and did not dismiss him from his position, according to an Associated Press report.

Tyndall's attorney, Leonard Levine, said that the accused continues to deny that he has done any of the misconduct laid against him.

Levine added that Tyndall is confident he will be totally exonerated when the allegations are tested in a jury trial.

The complaints started in 1990 when a co-worker alleged Tyndall that he was improperly photographing students' genitals, according to a LA Times report.

Some colleagues also feared that he was targeting USC's growing population of Chinese students, who had limited understanding of the English language and American medical practices.

One nurse came forward in 2016 to the campus rape crisis center. That was the only time that Tyndall was suspended.

However, USC top administrators had allowed Tyndall to resign quietly with a financial payout in a secret deal.

USC did not inform Tyndall's patients nor reported him to the Medical Board of California, which is an agency responsible for protecting patients from abusive doctors.

WATCH: Ex-USC Gynecologist Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Abuse Charges - from KTLA 5