LOS ANGELES and BALTIMORE,
May 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Janet,
Janet and Suggs, LLC managing partner Howard A. Janet, one of the lawyers who
spearheaded the $190,000,000
settlement of the class action against The Johns Hopkins Hospital
on behalf of approximately 8,000 women who alleged they were
sexually abused and illicitly photographed by OB/GYN Dr.
Nikita Levy, and founding and
managing partner Mike Arias of Arias
Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos, LLP have filed a class action
against the University of Southern California. The lawsuits
are the first class actions to be filed in California state court on behalf of thousands
of female students who were allegedly sexually abused and illicitly
photographed by a USC OB/GYN.
"The conduct alleged to have been committed by USC OB/GYN Dr. George
Tyndall is eerily similar to that of Dr. Levy. As with the
Hopkins case, this case centers on allegations of grossly improper
pelvic exams that involved improper probing, at times without
gloves, sexually charged remarks and illicit photographing of
genitalia," said Mr. Janet. "It appears that Dr. Tyndall, like Dr.
Levy at Hopkins, violated the sacred trust between physicians and
patients – specifically the trust between male OB/GYNs and patients
– in a methodical and disturbing fashion by preying on young,
unsuspecting women."
Dr. Tyndall practiced at USC's
Engemann Student Health Center from 1987 until he was suspended in
2016. He claimed in a recent article to have provided care to
"thousands and thousands of Trojan women" during his time at
USC.
The lawsuits allege that USC
received repeated complaints from students and co-workers, but
failed to take appropriate steps to investigate those
complaints. Finally, in 2016, USC
hired an outside firm to investigate Dr. Tyndall's conduct,
according to media reports. The firm, MDReview, is the nation's
only physician-led peer review medical consulting firm. The
investigation found that Dr. Tyndall "exhibited unprofessional and
inappropriate behavior" and that his pelvic exams were outside
"current standards of care."
"Shockingly, it appears USC agreed
to enter a 'no finding' conclusion related to the investigation,
characterize Tyndall's departure as a resignation, and actually
provide him severance pay despite the findings from MDReview's
investigation," said Mr. Janet. USC, in
a recent press statement, took the position that it should have
reported Dr. Tyndall to the Medical Board of California eight months earlier than it did.
Mr. Janet said, "Given the multitude of complaints lodged to the
University during much of Dr. Tyndall's tenure, there is a
reasonable basis to conclude that USC
should have reported him years, if not decades, earlier."
The lead plaintiffs for the classes are not identified because
of the sensitive nature of the lawsuits. The lead plaintiff in each
class is referred to as Jane Doe.
"USC students treated by Dr. Tyndall
had every right to expect that the University had thoroughly vetted
him so as to be confident that he'd be practicing ethically and not
violate the trust placed in him by students," said Mike Arias. "It is simply unfathomable that a
world-renowned institution like USC
would ignore repeated red flags reported to them and allow this man
to remain in a position where he could continue his abuse of
students."
The lawsuits also allege that many of the women targeted by Dr.
Tyndall were of Chinese or other Asian descent. Also
participating in the representation from ASWT is partner
Arnold C. Wang, who was born in
Taiwan, Republic of China and is fluent in Mandarin,
along with Kate Harvey-Lee, a Senior
Trial Lawyer at ASWT with extensive experience in complex
litigation and class action matters.
For additional information or to join the class, please visit
the case information page at
www.jjsjustice.com/lp/dr-george-tyndall-case. Those interested may
also contact JJS toll-free at 1-877-692-3862 or Mike Arias and ASWT at 1-855-481-1020.
ABOUT ARIAS SANGUINETTI WANG & TORRIJOS, LLP
(http://aswtlawyers.com/)
Mr. Arias currently serves as President of the Consumer
Attorneys of Los Angeles and is
President-Elect of the Consumer Attorneys of California. His
firm has handled hundreds of class action cases across the country,
represented millions of class participants and recovered
hundreds of millions in damages. In fact, ASWT is one of the few
law firms that has actually tried numerous class action cases.
Taking such cases to trial is not a common occurrence with most
class action attorneys. The firm does not take on a class action
unless it is prepared to take it to trial. Arias, Sanguinetti, Wang
& Torrijos, LLP has the manpower and resources necessary to
confront the most complex legal challenges of class action
litigation. Knowing that the firm will take such cases to trial is
often the most effective way to obtain fair compensation and to
ensure that the wrongful conduct of the defendant does not
continue.
ABOUT JANET, JANET & SUGGS, LCC
(www.jjsjustice.com)
JJS represents plaintiffs in complex, high stakes litigation in
the areas of medical malpractice, sexual abuse, fraudulent business
practices, pharmaceutical and medical device product liability, qui
tam litigation, Federal Tort Claims Act and environmental
litigation. The firm has successfully litigated against some
the nation's largest and most prestigious organizations, including
the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Penn State
University, DuPont, Dow Corning, Baxter Healthcare, Bayer,
Wyeth and the Mayo Clinic, among others.
The firm's practice is national in scope. Whether working
solely or hand-in-hand with other law firms, JJS has won verdicts
and negotiated settlements exceeding $1
billion. Unlike many firms, the attorneys at Janet, Janet
& Suggs, LLC actually try cases – and have notched
record-setting verdicts across the country. This provides JJS the
leverage necessary to negotiate record-setting settlements. JJS's
extraordinary in-house medical experts, including a board-certified
OB/GYN, RN and former medical corpsman, give the firm an edge in
high-stakes cases involving medical malpractice and misconduct by
OB/GYNs, as well as enable them to uncover errors other firms may
have missed.
Contact:
Joe Marchelewski
626-356-3006
joe@jurisproductions.com
View original content with
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-california-state-class-action-lawsuits-filed-against-university-of-southern-california-for-failing-to-protect-students-from-sexual-abuse-by-usc-gynecologist-dr-george-tyndall-300655283.html
SOURCE ARIAS SANGUINETTI WANG & TORRIJOS, LLP