Ex-USC gynecologist charged with sexually assaulting students dies before going to trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former College of Southern California campus gynecologist charged with sexually assaulting quite a few college students was discovered useless Wednesday inside his dwelling, his lawyer mentioned.

Leonard Levine, George Tyndall’s protection lawyer, confirmed the loss of life to The Related Press on Thursday.

Tyndall, who was in his mid-70s, was awaiting trial on 35 legal counts of sexual misconduct between 2009 and 2016 on the college’s pupil well being heart. He pleaded not responsible in 2019 and was free on bond.

A detailed good friend went to Tyndall’s dwelling in Los Angeles on Wednesday after he had not answered her cellphone calls, Levine mentioned. She discovered him useless in his mattress.

Whereas the coroner’s workplace will do an post-mortem, Levine mentioned there may be “no proof of foul play or suicide.”

Levine mentioned Tyndall was due again in court docket later this month to set a date for his trial. His shopper had denied any wrongdoing and needed to current his case earlier than a jury.

“He’s at all times maintained his innocence,” Levine mentioned.

Lots of of girls got here ahead to report their allegations to police however a number of the circumstances fell exterior the 10-year statute of limitations, whereas others didn’t rise to the extent of legal costs or lacked ample proof to prosecute. Nonetheless, he confronted as much as 64 years in jail if convicted.

Even because the legal case was pending, USC agreed to an $852 million settlement with greater than 700 ladies who accused the faculty’s longtime campus gynecologist of sexual abuse, the victims’ legal professionals and USC introduced in 2021.

Tyndall, who labored on the faculty for almost three many years, was deposed for the settlement and largely invoked his rights in opposition to self-incrimination in solutions, the plaintiff’s legal professionals mentioned. Whereas he signed the settlement, he didn’t contribute any cash towards it and didn’t admit to any wrongdoing.

Individually, USC earlier agreed to pay $215 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that applies to about 18,000 ladies who had been sufferers of Tyndall. The person payouts to these victims vary from $2,500 to $250,000, and got no matter whether or not the ladies formally accused Tyndall of harassment or assault.

Allegations in opposition to Tyndall first surfaced in 2018 in an investigation by the Los Angeles Instances, which revealed that the physician had been the topic of complaints of sexual misconduct at USC relationship again to the Nineties.

He wasn’t suspended till 2016, when a nurse reported him to a rape disaster heart. He was in a position to quietly resign with a big payout the subsequent 12 months.

Tyndall surrendered his medical license in September 2019.