Ohio State University sexual abuse: Some survivors appeal lawsuit dismissal

Hundreds of men allege Richard Strauss abused them at Ohio State campus athletic facilities, a student health center, his home or at an off-campus clinic.

They say the school failed to stop Strauss despite students raising concerns during his 20 years at the university as far back as the late 1970s. Strauss died in 2005. No one has publicly defended him.

Ohio State says more than 170 total instances of rape and more than 2,600 instances of fondling attributed to Strauss came to light between 2018 and 2020, much of that through a law firm investigation for the university and lawsuits filed against OSU.

Last year, federal Judge Michael Watson dismissed several lawsuits brought by survivors. Watson has said it’s clear Strauss abused hundreds of young men while Ohio State officials turned a blind eye, but ruled the legal window for such claims has passed.