The University of Southern California’s student newspaper, The Daily Trojan, has published a powerful opinion piece written by USC alumna, Shannon O’Conner, one of the thousands of women who allegedly suffered sexual abuse by the former head gynecologist at the USC student health center. Ms. O’Conner 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.
O’Conner writes of her struggle in deciding whether or not to put her real name on the lawsuit or file as a Jane Doe. She explains that while she held no judgment against the women who chose to stay anonymous, it was extremely important for her to use her real name and to not be “just one of hundreds of Tyndall’s nameless, faceless victims.”
The fact that the settlement agreement provides every affected woman with choices is of great significance to O’Conner. She notes that, “as sexual assault victims, we were never given a choice. Instead, we were dragged into the darkness of shame, pain and fear. Under this settlement, every woman — regardless of if they choose to share their story or not — is acknowledged as a survivor that should have never been put in harm’s way.”
O’Conner ultimately believes that the women who have come forward against Tyndall in strength and solidarity have helped shape what may be the most critical part of the settlement — a series of changes in policies and procedures that USC must implement so as to try to insure that this never happens again, and that if it does, there will be proper and safe avenues available for reporting misconduct.
Read Ms. O’Conner’s full piece on the Daily Trojan 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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