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A disgraced University of Southern California gynecologist accused of sexually abusing hundreds of women was found dead at his Los Angeles home Wednesday before standing trial on dozens of criminal charges, his lawyer said.
George Tyndall, 76, was discovered dead in his bed by a close friend who couldn’t reach him by phone, defense lawyer Leonard Levine said Thursday.
Levine told the Associated Press there was no “evidence of foul play or suicide,” but the coroner’s office is expected to perform an autopsy.
The college doctor died before going to trial on 27 criminal counts of sexual misconduct between 2009 and 2016 at USC’s student health center. He was initially charged with 35 counts before some were dropped, the Los Angeles Times reported.
He faced up to 64 years in prison if convicted.
He pleaded not guilty in 2019 and was free on bond as a start date for the trial was still not determined.
Hundreds of women have accused Tyndall of sexual misconduct, but some of the cases were past the 10-year statute of limitations and others didn’t rise to the level of criminality or lacked enough evidence.
Tyndall, who denied the sickening allegations, was due back in court later this month to nail down a trial date.
“He’s always maintained his innocence,” Levine said of his client who worked for the university for almost 30 years.
Still, USC forked up $852 million to more than 700 women who accused the longtime campus gynecologist of sexual abuse in 2021.
During a deposition tied to the case, Tyndall, who lost his license in 2019, mostly invoked his rights against self-incrimination, the plaintiff’s lawyers said. He also denied any wrongdoing when he signed the settlement.
In another settlement, USC paid up $215 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that involved 18,000 women who were treated by Tyndall. The payouts — that ranged from $2,500 to $250,000 — were given even if the women didn’t formally accuse Tyndall of harassment or assault.
Tyndall was the subject of sexual misconduct complaints at USC in the 1990s, according to a Los Angeles Times story that first broke sickening allegations in 2018.
He wasn’t suspended until 2016 after a nurse reported him to a rape crisis center and then he resigned the next year with a large payout.
With Post wires
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