COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio House committee resumed hearings Tuesday on a proposal to enable survivors to sue Ohio State University under state law for decades-old sexual abuse by now-deceased team doctor, Richard Strauss.
The proposal seemed stalled until House Speaker Larry Householder and Gov. Mike DeWine, both Republicans, said publicly last week that the university should get the matter settled.
Lawmakers heard testimony from two former wrestlers, as well as a victim advocate who noted that Michigan passed similar legislation because of the Larry Nassar scandal at Michigan State.
Adam DiSabato told the lawmakers that he raised concerns when he was a Buckeyes wrestler in the early 1990s and begged his coaches to intervene, but those pleas were ignored.
“You people have the power to do something,” DiSabato told the panel. “Ohio State is too arrogant. They think it’s going to go away.”
He is among about 350 men who have sued the school in federal court over its failure to stop Strauss. Ohio State initially argued the claims are time-barred by law, then committed to a “monetary resolution.” But months of mediation haven’t produced an agreement.
The legislation would let the survivors sue under Ohio law instead. Householder expressed concerns about the retroactivity of that stalled proposal but pushed for lawmakers to resume considering it, saying he feels the university hasn’t sufficiently taken responsibility.
Ohio State officials maintain they’re actively pursuing a resolution through mediation. They point to a university-funded investigation as evidence the school has “led the effort” to investigate the allegations.
Some Strauss accusers challenge that, arguing the university was forced into action by a whistleblower and has dragged its heels in mediation.
Some of the accusers also cited the university’s mishandling of Strauss in a new letter asking Ohio’s inspector general to investigate the connections between disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and the school and one of its trustees, Abigail Wexner.
Inspector General Randall Meyer said his office will review the complaint received Monday to determine whether it has jurisdiction and whether further investigation is merited.
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Associated Press reporter Julie Carr Smyth contributed to this report. See AP’s coverage about the allegations here: https://apnews.com/OhioStateTeamDoctor. Follow Franko on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kantele10.
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