Reason behind dying deferred for disgraced USC gynecologist as alleged victims search full post-mortem – Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Workplace confirmed Thursday that it carried out an examination of George Tyndall, the previous USC campus gynecologist who was discovered lifeless at his residence final week whereas awaiting trial for alleged sexual misconduct with 16 sufferers.

“An examination was carried out, and the reason for dying has been deferred,” a spokeswoman for the Medical Examiner’s Workplace informed Metropolis Information Service, whereas including that “no post-mortem was carried out.”

“An exterior examination contains in search of any exterior indicators of trauma,” in response to the Medical Examiner’s Workplace. “Primarily based on the examination and the circumstances surrounding the dying, an post-mortem could also be required to find out the trigger and method of dying.

“Instances are deferred when the deputy medical expert is requesting additional investigation/research into the dying. As a result of ongoing dying investigation, the division can not disclose what’s being carried out, nor a time-frame of when the case will likely be closed,” in response to the coroner’s workplace.

The workplace issued an announcement final week saying it didn’t plan to carry out an post-mortem, as a result of “there was a historical past of pure illness that explains Mr. Tyndall’s sudden dying with no suspicious circumstances for foul play, suicide or toxins taking part in a task in his dying.”

The 76-year-old man’s physique was subsequently moved to the coroner’s workplace on Monday.

The choice to not carry out a full post-mortem angered attorneys for a few of Tyndall’s alleged victims, who mentioned they have been being denied closure concerning his dying after additionally being denied the prospect to see him delivered to trial.

Tyndall was discovered lifeless Oct. 4 in his Los Angeles condominium by a pal who had been unable to achieve him. Tyndall was awaiting trial on sex-related costs involving sufferers who accused him of inappropriate conduct beneath the guise of medical exams.

Tyndall and his attorneys have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Tyndall was ordered Aug. 11 to face trial on 18 felony counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious particular person — costs that allege the ladies have been “unconscious of the character of the act” and that it served “no skilled objective” — together with 9 felony counts of sexual battery by fraud.

The legal grievance alleges that the crimes occurred between 2009 and 2016.

The ladies had gone to USC’s scholar well being middle for annual examinations or different remedy whereas Tyndall was working there.

Eight costs involving 5 different ladies have been dismissed earlier as a result of 4 of them opted to not proceed and one couldn’t be contacted.

Lawyer John Manly, who represents a lot of alleged Tyndall victims, issued an announcement final week blasting the choice to not carry out an post-mortem, saying authorities “refused to correctly examine his dying” by shortly declaring it “pure causes.”

“This refusal to correctly examine Tyndall’s explanation for dying permits him to get away together with his a long time of horrific abuse, and leaves a whole bunch of girls with out solutions,” Manly mentioned.

Considered one of Tyndall’s attorneys, Leonard Levine, informed Metropolis Information Service that his consumer “desperately wished to go to trial and that’s the place the problems of guilt or innocence must be resolved.” He mentioned his consumer had deliberate to testify and “declare his innocence.”

Tyndall’s protection group will search the dismissal of the case as soon as a replica of his dying certificates is on the market, Levine mentioned.

Tyndall had been set to seem Friday at a listening to in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. The protection had been planning to ask the choose then to decrease Tyndall’s $1.3 million bail to $250,000 and to free him from digital monitoring, given the dismissal of the eight costs involving 5 different ladies.

In March 2021, attorneys representing a whole bunch of girls who declare they have been sexually abused by Tyndall introduced an $852 million settlement of lawsuits towards USC, describing the decision as the most important of its sort ever towards a college.

In January 2020, a federal choose in Los Angeles granted last approval of a $215 million class-action settlement between USC and a number of the ladies who declare they have been sexually abused by Tyndall.

The settlement offers all class members — about 17,000 former sufferers who obtained ladies’s well being providers from Tyndall — compensation of $2,500 and up. Sufferers who’re keen to offer additional particulars about their expertise may very well be eligible for extra compensation as much as $250,000.

Attorneys for some victims have argued that following an inside investigation of complaints towards Tyndall in 2016, the college paid Tyndall a considerable monetary settlement so he would quietly resign.

USC officers had repeatedly denied allegations of a cover-up regarding Tyndall and have mentioned that in response to the scandal, new protocols have been applied at its scholar well being middle to make sure any complaints are investigated and resolved by applicable college officers and authorities. The college additionally mentioned it has employed feminine, board-certified physicians and launched affected person training supplies about delicate examinations.

After the March 2021 settlement, USC President Carol Folt launched an announcement during which she mentioned, “I’m deeply sorry for the ache skilled by these valued members of the USC group. We recognize the braveness of all who got here ahead and hope this much-needed decision offers some reduction to the ladies abused by George Tyndall.”

Tyndall surrendered his medical license in September 2019, in response to data from the Medical Board of California.