Dr. Tyndall, now 71, is being accused of taking advantage of young female students by “forcing them to strip naked” and inappropriately “groping” and “digitally penetrating” them during gynecological exams, among other improper behavior, and USC officials are being accused of allowing the sexual abuse to continue without punishment. In fact, in a lawsuit filed on behalf of four former USC students in the Los Angeles County Superior Court in May 2018, the plaintiffs claimed that the school intentionally hid Tyndall’s alleged sexual misconduct from the public, alleging that “despite the fact that USC has publicly admitted that it received numerous complaints of Tyndall’s sexually abusive behavior, dating back to at least the year 2000, USC actively and deliberately concealed [the] sexual abuse for years, continuing to grant Tyndall unfettered sexual access to the young female USC students in his care, all to protect USC’s reputation and financial coffers.”

Although USC has acknowledged being aware of complaints against Tyndall dating as far back as early 2000, there have been additional reports that suggest the sexual abuse may date back even further. One woman who allegedly underwent two exams as part of a study with Dr. Tyndall in 1988, claims that the doctor forced her to strip naked and physically violated her while making crude comments about her body, an encounter she reported to USC officials that same year. And throughout the 1990s, the USC gynecologist was accused of inappropriately photographing patients’ genitals, improperly touching women during pelvic exams and making sexually suggestive comments about their bodies. Despite these shockingly inappropriate encounters with young student patients, Dr. Tyndall was allowed to practice at USC until June 2016, when he was placed on administrative leave by the university following a complaint from a staff member at the health clinic. Even still, it wasn’t until June 2017 that USC finally terminated Tyndall’s employment.

At least a dozen lawsuits have already been filed against Dr. Tyndall, USC and its board of trustees, and attorneys investigating claims of sexual assault at the university expect the litigation to expand into the hundreds or even thousands, as more former patients of Tyndall’s come forward with reports of the sexual abuse they allegedly suffered at the hands of the USC gynecologist.