COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State University sexual abuse scandal involving a former physician has made its way to federal court.
An attorney representing several people who say they are sex abuse victims of former Ohio State Doctor Richard Strauss said their case against the school will be headed to trial in 2025. The two sides met in court on Thursday for a status conference with the judge.
What You Need To Know
- An attorney representing several plaintiffs in the case say the lawsuit is on its way to trial in 2025
- Previously, the United States Supreme Court declined to consider the appeal, because of Title IX claims and its legal impact on universities and students.
- The Federal Court met on February, 29, 2024 for a status conference
The lawsuit is a part of an ongoing investigation that has lasted a few years. Nearly 200 men are suing The Ohio State University for alleged sexual abuse that took place when Dr. Richard Strauss was a physician in the school.
The university has previously apologized to victims and reached settlements totaling $60 million with some victims. The university is arguing to have the remaining unsettled cases dismissed and has been fighting this for the past six years. The university’s main argument is that the time limit for the claims has passed.
Meanwhile, The United States Supreme Court has already declined the case because of Title IX claims and its legal impact on universities and students.
On Thursday, a federal judge met with attorneys for both sides and is pushing for mediation to resolve the case. They spent nearly 30 minutes in discussion in a court meeting behind closed doors. According to a plaintiff’s attorney, the federal case is set to head to trial next year.
“The judge is hearing the issues about how we’re doing and how we’re working together to see if the case is moving towards a trial, because there’s a lot of information that needs to be exchanged back and forth before a trial happens. Depositions, subpoenas and so forth,” said Rocky Ratliff, an attorney representing 42 plaintiffs.
Ratliff said it will take time to sort through nearly 235 individual cases in the court. He also said it will be a long-road ahead.
“Well, really going to trial is sometimes an anxious moment,” said Ratliff. “However, for my 42 individuals, I don’t think it is an anxious moment. We know we have the truth on our side. We know what happened. We know we were victimized. We know we’re survivors of Dr. Richard Strauss at OSU. So we’re ready to take the stand and tell the world what happened. That’s never an anxious moment. These are the most highly trained athletes during their time. So, they’re not scared of the other side at all because we know ultimately we have the truth.”
He said each time they meet in court, they will continue to review depositions and subpoenas.
Strauss worked for the university from the 1970s until 1998.
Samana Sheikh
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