The university is now facing 17 lawsuits involving more than 350 litgants.
“I am disappointed that The Ohio State University has yet to accept responsibility for the obvious harm that was done to students under their watch. While these young people were all adults, families still trust that our state institutions are providing a reasonable level of security for their children while they are away at school,” Householder said in a written statement. “Our patience is wearing thin. We expected Ohio’s flagship state university to step up by now and do the right thing for students that parents placed in their care. It appears a trust has been broken.”
A hearing on House Bill 249 is scheduled for Tuesday before the House Civil Justice Committee. The bill would open a look back window for civil lawsuits against the university over its failure to stop Strauss.
It is the second time Householder has called on the university to act.
RELATED: House speaker to Ohio State: 'Do the right thing'
University spokesman Ben Johnson said, “Ohio State has led the effort to investigate and expose Richard Strauss’ abuse and the university’s failure at the time to adequately respond to or prevent it, and we are committed to reaching a monetary resolution as soon as possible, which we are actively pursuing through the mediation process that is underway in federal court.”
In May, Ohio State released a 232-page report by Perkins Coie, a Seattle-based law firm, hired by the university for $6.2 million to conduct an independent investigation into Strauss’ misconduct and find out who at the university knew about it. Dozens of coaches, medical personnel and administrators knew of complaints about Strauss, but they failed to act on it or report it to police, the report concluded.
RELATED: Victims to OSU trustees: 'Are you going to let us down again?'
While the lawsuits are in mediation, OSU Board of Trustees President Gary Heminger said in November that the university is committed to a “monetary resolution.”
It is unclear what OSU’s financial exposure may be in the cases, though the university has notified its insurance carriers. In 2018, Michigan State University agreed to pay $500 million into a fund for the victims of Dr. Larry Nasser, who was convicted on federal child pornography charges and state sexual assault charges.
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