Major Announcement in the Ohio State University Sex Abuse Case
- June 3, 2026
“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.”
ECBAWM serves as plaintiffs’ counsel in the long-running case against OSU, representing almost 100 survivors. Dr. Strauss, who was employed by the university for decades, is believed to have abused hundreds, and potentially thousands, of students during his tenure, in what has become one of the most significant sexual abuse scandals in the history of American higher education.
The litigation achieved critical legal milestones. In September 2022, after oral argument in which plaintiffs were represented by Ilann Maazel, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reinstated the survivors’ lawsuits, holding that the survivors plausibly alleged they lacked knowledge and reason to know of OSU’s institutional role in causing their abuse.
On June 28, 2023, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear OSU’s appeal, allowing the Sixth Circuit’s decision to stand and ensuring that survivors’ cases could proceed.
On June 17, 2025, HBO premiered the documentary Surviving Ohio State, produced by George Clooney, which details decades of abuse by Dr. Strauss and its lasting impact on thousands of survivors.
ECBAWM attorneys, including Ilann Maazel, Debbie Greenberger, Hannah Brudney, Claire Abbadi, and Albert Hauber, and paralegals Lyra Straley and Elizabeth Chicas, are proud to represent these survivors, along with our co-counsel Public Justice and Scott Smith.
