Ohio State Agrees To $100 Million Sex Abuse Lawsuit Settlement
Ohio State University has reached a $100 million settlement to resolve sex abuse lawsuits brought by nearly 300 survivors connected to former university doctor Richard Strauss, according to multiple published reports.
The agreement, reported by Reuters and NBC News, is described as a final settlement in the long-running litigation involving allegations that Strauss sexually abused students and others while working at the university. The settlement involves nearly 300 survivors, and it brings additional closure to a case that has produced multiple rounds of claims and extensive public scrutiny.
Ohio State’s board approved the final $100 million settlement, The Columbus Dispatch reported. WOSU Public Media also reported that the university said nearly all remaining Strauss survivors had agreed to the settlement. The litigation has played out over years, with survivors seeking accountability and compensation for alleged abuse linked to Strauss’s time at the university.
The development is significant because it represents one of the largest settlements tied to sexual abuse claims involving a major U.S. university. It also signals a major step toward ending a legal fight that has remained active for years, with large numbers of plaintiffs and ongoing negotiation over how claims would be resolved.
The settlement also underscores the enduring institutional and financial consequences universities can face when handling misconduct allegations involving campus professionals. For survivors, the agreement may provide compensation and an additional measure of resolution after years of court proceedings and public attention.
What happens next will depend on finalizing the terms and processing the claims covered by the settlement. With board approval reported and broad agreement among the remaining survivors described by WOSU, the focus turns to implementation—allocating funds, completing paperwork, and formally closing out the cases encompassed by the deal.
The university and plaintiffs’ representatives are expected to complete the remaining legal steps required to finalize the settlement and conclude the lawsuits covered by the agreement. Additional court filings may be required as part of that process, depending on the procedural posture of the cases.
The $100 million settlement marks a major turning point for Ohio State and for the survivors who pursued the lawsuits, bringing the years-long legal fight closer to its end.
