Ex-USC gynecologist charged in sex assaults of 16 patients

The former longtime gynecologist at the University of Southern California was charged with sexually assaulting 16 women at the student health center, the first criminal counts in a case that already has seen USC offer to pay $215 million to settle potentially thousands of claims.

Seventy-two-year-old Dr. George Tyndall worked at USC for nearly three decades, and news of his arrest on 29 felony charges that could send him to prison for 53 years was welcomed by women who accuse him of misconduct and lawyers representing them.

Some, however, criticized the delay in filing charges after allegations against the doctor first surfaced in May 2018.

Authorities say the investigation is continuing and more charges could follow.

Authorities say in the past year, more than 380 women have reported misconduct by Tyndall. Some of the cases fell outside the 10-year statute of limitations, while others didn’t rise to the level of criminal charges or lacked sufficient evidence to prosecute.