A new court filing confirms that U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan was deposed by attorneys as part of a federal lawsuit related to the Dr. Richard Strauss sex abuse scandal at Ohio State University.
Jordan, an Urbana Republican who previously served as an Ohio State assistant wrestling coach from 1986 to 1994, was deposed on July 18, according to court documents filed July 21 in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Ohio.
Multiple former Ohio State wrestlers have accused Jordan over the years of knowing about Strauss’ continued abuse. Jordan has maintained he did not know about Strauss’ actions. This is the first time Jordan was questioned under oath about his time at Ohio State related to Strauss.
Last week, when asked if Jordan was scheduled to testify, a spokesperson would not answer The Dispatch’s question, saying only, “As everyone knows, Chairman Jordan never saw or heard of any abuse, and if he had, he would have dealt with it.”
The filing gave no details about the deposition other than the date it occurred.
Depositions are underway after years of appeals in the cases brought by former athletes against Ohio State regarding alleged abuse by Strauss, seven years after initial lawsuits were filed against the university.
Strauss was hired by Ohio State in September 1978 as an assistant professor in the College of Medicine. Investigators found that university officials began receiving complaints and had knowledge of Strauss’ misconduct as early as 1979, months after he arrived.
Strauss’ abuse went on for years and ranged from subtle acts under the pretext of medical purposes to more overt actions. He fondled patients’ genitals and conducted genital or rectal exams even when they weren’t medically necessary.
A recently released documentary called “Surviving Ohio State” chronicles the abuse and accuses Ohio State of trying to cover up the scandal and of underpaying survivors with whom the university has settled.
An independent investigative report released by Ohio State University in May 2019 said Strauss sexually abused at least 177 students throughout his 20-year tenure as an athletics and student health doctor at the school. Strauss died by suicide in 2005, more than a decade before Ohio State would begin publicly investigating his abuses.
The court filing also confirmed that former Ohio State University Athletic Director Andy Geiger was deposed July 16. Two other individuals were also deposed, according to the court filing: Michael Murphy and John Doe 72.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Court filing confirms Rep. Jim Jordan deposed in Richard Strauss sexual abuse case
Reporting by Sheridan Hendrix, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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