LOS ANGELES _ A federal judge in Los Angeles said Monday that he would give final approval to the University of Southern California's landmark, $215 million class-action settlement with former patients of Dr. George Tyndall, the campus gynecologist who has been accused of a decades-long pattern of sexual abuse and misconduct.
U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson said he "was inclined to accept" the settlement, a decision that, barring any appeals, would clear the way for USC to start writing checks to approximately 18,000 women who saw Tyndall during their time at USC, regardless of whether they formally accused him of harassment or assault.
The payouts to each former student who saw Tyndall range from a guaranteed minimum of $2,500, with payments reaching up to $250,000. A panel of experts will decide the payout for women who choose to confidentially detail their allegations against the gynecologist.
It's unclear when Wilson would file his formal approval. The judge asked attorneys for the patients and USC to identify the experts on the panel within the week.
USC said in a statement after the hearing that it was "pleased with the court's decision." The statement added: "This settlement provides respectful and confidential relief to Tyndall patients at the student health center and formalizes a broad array of campus reforms."
Finalizing the settlement would close the door to a large portion of USC's legal exposure, but it does not end the university's mounting costs related to the Tyndall scandal. More than 660 former patients are plaintiffs in civil lawsuits against the university. Attorneys told a state judge Monday that an additional 30 to 50 women were expected to sue USC in the coming weeks.
"This is the first of its kind," remarked Annika Martin, one of the lead attorneys representing former patients, after the brief court hearing. She said the lack of any objections from Tyndall's former patients and the large participation rate were an endorsement of the settlement.
"We tried very hard to get this right," Martin told the Los Angeles Times in an interview. "It looks like something that many class members found to be a safe way to stand up and be counted and hold the school accountable."
Under the approved terms, Tyndall, who turned 73 on Monday, will not contribute to the payout, nor will he admit liability or wrongdoing. The gynecologist has been charged by the Los Angeles County district attorney's office with 29 felony counts related to sexual abuse and misconduct with 16 patients. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and he is currently released on bond while the case is pending in Los Angeles Superior Court.
After court Monday, one of his attorneys, N. Denise Taylor, repeated that her client denied wrongdoing.
Wilson, the judge overseeing the federal case, first granted preliminary approval to the settlement in June. Since then, more than 10,000 former patients of Tyndall received notice about the settlement. Another 150,000 women who attended USC from 1989 to 2016 _ considered "potential" members of the class of ex-patients _ also received notice of the case.
Ultimately about 800 people opted out of the settlement, according to court records. Of those, about 600 are part of the separate lawsuits in state court.
Apart from the settlement total, USC has also agreed to pay up to $25 million in legal fees and other costs to the attorneys representing former patients. Wilson, the judge, will have to approve any payment of legal fees.
