The Ohio State Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to approve a $100 million settlement with hundreds of survivors of former university doctor Richard Strauss.
The resolution is expected to serve as the final settlement in the ongoing fallout from the Strauss sexual abuse cases. The measure was included in a consent agenda containing dozens of items, which the board approved unanimously.
Ohio State president Ravi Bellamkonda said Strauss survivors will always remain part of the Buckeye family and community.
“We continue to be very grateful to them for their courage in coming forward — and reaching a final resolution was very important to us as an important step forward,” said Bellamkonda, who became Ohio State’s 18th president on March 12.
Trustees did not disclose details of the settlement during the meeting. Board chair John Zeiger said the terms remain confidential and cannot be made public until the agreement is finalized. Zeiger acknowledged that the public will have questions about what he called “this substantial development” and said the university intends to provide answers when it is able to do so.
“It’s important we respect the court’s order and comply with the mediator’s directive,” Zeiger said. “But we will provide additional information on this resolution when we are positioned to do so.”
The university and the plaintiffs released the following joint statement after Wednesday’s board meeting:
Ohio State and 279 of the 280 individual remaining Richard Strauss survivors involved in the pending litigation have reached settlements in principle in a total amount of $100 million. The university’s Board of Trustees has now publicly ratified these agreements in principle, and all parties thank the mediators for their assistance. The mediation and its confidentiality are continuing as the parties work to finalize the details of the settlements, and additional information will be shared as appropriate.
Before Wednesday’s vote, Ohio State had paid more than $61 million to 317 survivors since March 2020. The university also reached settlements with more than a dozen survivors in April.
The board’s decision comes shortly after several high-profile survivors publicly shared their stories for the first time. In early May, 30 former Ohio State football players — including former team captains and NFL veterans — came forward and joined legal efforts against the former university doctor.
