More than 200 women have come forward with complaints of sexual assault against a former University of Southern California gynecologist, and a Corpus Christi lawyer has stepped in to represent one of those women.
Local attorney Bob Hilliard filed a lawsuit on behalf of a USC student against George Tyndall, MD, and the University of Southern California, for alleged sexual abuse the student suffered in the Spring of 2015.
The lawsuit details the alleged encounter the student had with Tyndall, and a warning: some details are graphic.
The woman, a freshman at the time of the alleged abuse, told Tyndall she was a recent rape victim, according to the lawsuit filed. After sharing that information, she said Tyndall made her fully undress prior to a pelvic exam to "check her for moles." The lawsuit says that Tyndall began the exam with his fingers instead of a speculum and stated "your vaginal muscles are very tight, are you a runner?"
Another woman has publicly come forward and spoken about her experience with the doctor.
Daniela Mohazab says she was a 19-year-old student in 2016 when she scheduled a gynecological exam with Tyndall.
"Without a glove he put two fingers in me and felt around. He said ‘I think we better use some lube.’ He felt inside by moving his fingers around for a few minutes. He said that this was part of an STD test," Mohazab said.
USC has admitted to receiving detailed and severe complaints against Tyndall as far back as the early 2000’s, the lawsuit says, and acknowledged that the doctor should have been removed from the clinic years ago. USC acknowledged in 2016 that he had violated the university’s policy on harassment, and according to the LA Times, Tyndall was quietly paid off to leave the school last year.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday, May 24 in the Superior Court of Los Angles, California.
The president of USC agreed to step down on Friday due to the allegations. Thousands of students and more than 200 professors sent a letter demanding his resignation.
"America has watched and listened in horror as young female victims recount their sexual assaults by doctors whom they trusted. Dr. Tyndall was funded and protected by USC and given absolute unfettered access to as many victims as his perverted psyche desired," Hilliard said. "USC wrapped Dr. Tyndall in an untouchable blanket of prestige while ignoring the complaints and the pleas of his victims, making it a knowing accomplice to numerous sexual assaults and rapes."
So far, seven women have filed lawsuits against the 71-year-old USC doctor, claiming similar sexual abuse experiences. Tyndall has not been criminally charged.
The university says more than 200 complaints against the doctor have been called in to a recently set-up victim’s hotline on the campus.
