One of the men alleging abuse by Ohio State doctor Richard Strauss wants state lawmakers to get rid of the time limit to file legal claims of sexual abuse.
Brian Garrett says he wants a credible investigation into his case and for hundreds of others making similar claims against Strauss, who died in 2005. Garrett said he briefly worked for Strauss’ off-campus men’s clinic in the 1990s, but says he quit after being groped by Strauss. He says he witnessed abuse of patients, as well.
But Garrett says the statute of limitations expired two years after the incident. He is pushing for Ohio lawmakers to waive that time limit for filing legal action.
“All of the lawmakers that I know, Democrat or Republican, all are good people and will do the right thing,” Garrett said. “But in my opinion, if the lawmakers don’t step up and open up the statute of limitations, then they are complicit.”
An Ohio State spokesman declined to comment on the proposed legislative effort. An investigation of the university, conducted by an outside law firm, has interviewed over 300 people, including athletes from 16 sports and patients from the men’s clinic.
So far, 145 people have come forward with first-hand accounts of abuse by Strauss. Allegations against Strauss span from 1979 to 1997.
Garrett says he doesn’t have faith in the school’s investigation because it lacks transparency and credibility, and he hopes the new website “Rights For Ohio State Victims” will hold the school accountable.
The school said its investigation could conclude fact-finding this fall.
More than a dozen former students are suing Ohio State for allegedly ignoring decades of abuse. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights is conducting its own investigation into how the university handled the complaints.
