CNN has published a striking opinion piece written by USC alumna, Meggie Kwait, one of the thousands of women who allegedly suffered sexual abuse by the former head gynecologist at the USC health center. Ms. Kwait recounts her own horrific experience and expresses her support for the recent settlement of the federal class action lawsuit filed by female USC students and former students against Dr. George Tyndall and the University of Southern California.
Kwait, who is now a teacher living in New York City, arrived at USC in 2005. During that time she describes herself as being “a National Merit finalist on a full-tuition scholarship, fresh from a Central Valley farm town.” In 2008, she scheduled a routine pelvic exam at the student health center, where she was seen and verbally and sexually abused by Dr. George Tyndall, a “trusted” gynecologist who worked at the university for nearly three decades before he was fired in 2017 for inappropriate behavior.
After years of the University covering up Tyndall’s abhorrent sexual misconduct, attorneys successfully negotiated an unprecedented $215 settlement in the class action lawsuit against Tyndall and USC over the decades of abuse, a settlement that in addition to the millions to be paid to plaintiff women also requires the school to implement significant permanent structural changes to prevent and guide the reporting of future abuse, in the health center and beyond. “Nothing can ever give us back what Tyndall and USC took from us, but for me, it is gratifying to know that future generations of Trojan women will not be shamed into silence,” notes Kwait.
Read Ms. Kwait’s full piece on the CNN website.
Contact Sexual Abuse Lawyer Annika K. Martin at Lieff Cabraser
Lieff Cabraser partner Annika K. Martin, herself an alumnus of USC’s law school, is leading the litigation for our firm on behalf of women who suffered violence, abuse, and harassment by George Tyndall and USC. She is a partner in the firm’s New York office and has represented plaintiffs since 2005 in environmental, mass tort, consumer protection, and sexual abuse cases. She can be reached at akmartin@lchb.com or 800-541-7358. There is no charge or obligation for your outreach, and all information will be held in the strictest confidence.
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