Oversight & ethics enforcementSexual abuse & harassment

The Education Department's civil rights office found USC failed for years to respond to patient complaints of sexual harassment by campus gynecologist George Tyndall.

Confidence: Confirmed · 3 sourcesCalifornia · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

University of Southern California

George Tyndall, Former USC student health center gynecologist

Also named

Oversight

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights

What happened

The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened a directed Title IX investigation of the University of Southern California in May 2018 over its handling of complaints against student-health-center gynecologist George Tyndall. In February 2020 OCR found that USC had notice of possible sexual harassment by Tyndall since at least 2000 and 'systemically failed at multiple points in time and at multiple levels of responsibility' to respond, concluding USC violated Title IX by failing to promptly and equitably respond to notice of nine patient complaints between 2000 and 2016. USC signed a Resolution Agreement dated February 21, 2020 requiring stronger Title IX oversight, better record keeping, expanded training and three years of OCR monitoring; the agreement states it does not constitute an admission of the findings. USC separately agreed to a federal court settlement compensating Tyndall's former patients.

Sources (3)

U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (Resolution Letter, OCR Docket No. 09-18-6901)Since at least 2000, the University had notice of possible sex discrimination in the form of sexual harassment by Employee 1 of patients and systemically failed at multiple points in time and at multiple levels of responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to notice of the alleged misconduct... OCR determines that the University violated the Title IX regulation at 34 C.F.R. §§ 106.8(b) and 106.31.

U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (Resolution Agreement, OCR Case No. 09-18-6901)This Resolution Agreement does not constitute an admission by the University to the factual findings and legal conclusions in OCR's written resolution letter... Signed for USC by President Carol Folt and Board of Trustees Chair Rick J. Caruso, dated 2/21/20.

USC Today (University of Southern California official announcement)OCR concluded that USC violated Title IX by failing to promptly and equitably respond to notice of nine complaints by patients of potential sexual harassment during medical examinations between 2000 and 2016, and that that failure may have allowed patients to be subjected to sex discrimination.

Response

University of Southern California

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

George Tyndall

Not yet contacted

Not yet contacted for this story.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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