USC's highest commitment is to the safety and health of all members of the Trojan community, including the current and former students involved in this matter," the university said in its statement. Dennis Kelly have reached a global settlement of the lawsuits. "USC and the students who made allegations against Dr. In a statement to NPR, the university did not disclose the amount reached in the settlement but said both the school and the former students are pleased that the cases are not going to trial. Since the filing of the original civil lawsuit in 2019, 74 additional individuals have come forward, which has brought the total number of claimants to 80, Kellogg said. "The settlement today is another step toward closure for our clients who finally feel a sense of recognition and validation for speaking up," her statement adds.
Kelly eventually lost his license to practice medicine in 2020. The men further allege that the university received complaints about Kelly's misconduct but failed to "adequately address them" - allowing for Kelly to continue seeing students. Of the 80 former students who filed complaints, all were men at the time, with one now identifying as female and with 76 identifying as gay or bisexual. The former students allege that Kelly also discriminated against them based on their sexual orientation and gender, according to attorneys representing the 80 former students.
The University of Southern California says it has reached a settlement with 80 former students who allege they were all sexually abused by a former campus doctor over the course of two decades.ĭennis Kelly, a former campus physician, left USC in 2018, and the following year, six male graduates came forward with allegations that Kelly engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct during appointments, such as rectal examinations. The agreement for an undisclosed sum follows settlements by the Los Angeles school to pay more than $1 billion to thousands of women who say they were sexually abused by another male doctor at the student health center. The University of Southern California has settled lawsuits with 80 former students, mostly gay and bisexual men, who accuse a male former school doctor of sexual misconduct.