LOS ANGELES _ George Tyndall, the former University of Southern California campus gynecologist accused of sexual misconduct against hundreds of patients, was arrested Wednesday by the Los Angeles Police Department, according to his lawyers.
Tyndall was taken into custody outside his apartment, his attorney Andy Flier said. Tyndall faces sexual abuse charges related to 16 patients, according to multiple law enforcement sources. Another of Tyndall's attorneys, Leonard Levine, confirmed his client's arrest.
Neither the Los Angeles Police Department nor the Los Angeles County district attorney's office had an immediate comment.
An LAPD spokesman said a 4 p.m. news conference was planned at police headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. Josh Rubenstein confirmed the arrest but noted that Tyndall "hasn't been booked yet."
Tyndall, 71, has denied any wrongdoing. Flier said he would fight any charges filed against his client.
LAPD detectives have been collecting evidence in the case against Tyndall since May 2018, when the Los Angeles Times first reported he had been accused repeatedly of inappropriately touching patients and making suggestive remarks about their bodies.
A team of investigators crisscrossed the country last summer and fall, interviewing scores of alumnae about their experiences with Tyndall. Detectives also scrutinized evidence seized from the doctor's apartment and a storage locker in a raid early last year.
Ultimately, detectives presented scores of cases to prosecutors for potential criminal charges, according to a spokesman for the L.A. County district attorney's office.
Earlier this month, a federal judge granted preliminary approval to a landmark $215 million class-action settlement that USC has agreed to pay to former patients.
Under the terms of the settlement, the roughly 17,000 women treated during the physician's three-decade career would each be eligible to receive from $2,500 to $250,000. The amount would depend on the severity of the alleged misconduct and the women's willingness to confidentially detail those experiences in written statements or interviews.
John Manly, who represents nearly 200 former patients, said the women were "gratified" to learn of Tyndall's arrest.
"The survivors are looking forward to the courts finally delivering justice and holding Tyndall accountable for years of abuse," he said.
The preliminary sign-off by U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson is not expected to conclude USC's payouts to female students and alumnae. More than 720 women are pursuing separate claims against the university in state court, and their lawyers have criticized the class-action agreement as paltry.
