Former student claims doctor left her feeling 'violated'

He moved his hands in and out of her body, took off his gloves, and then proceeded to stroke her breasts.

The vivid details of what transpired in that examination room six years ago still made Lucy Chi uncomfortable as she recounted a 2012 appointment with Doctor George Tyndall.

The 36-year-old from Taiwan is one of 27 women who alleged that the former physician at the University of Southern California sexually abused them.

Tyndall, 71, was the only full-time gynecologist at USC student health center for almost three decades. He allegedly made suggestive sexual remarks and touched patients inappropriately during examinations.

Although complaints against Tyndall were lodged as early as the 1990s, USC didn't publicly acknowledge the incidents or report him to the authorities until it was contacted by Los Angeles Times a few weeks ago, according to the paper. The university also allowed Tyndall to resign in 2017 with a severance payout.

The scandal has spurred weeks of turmoil on campus as students and faculty members openly criticized the way USC handled the case. More than 410 former patients have contacted a hotline to report concerns about Tyndall's behavior, according to the Times.

The Los Angeles Police Department announced on Tuesday that it is now investigating 52 complaints from former patients of Tyndall.

"I felt really confused, and I felt like I'd been violated, but I wasn't sure what exactly happened, and he claimed that he had a medical reason for doing what he did," Chi said.

According to Chi, a former USC graduate student who majored in health administration, Tyndall said there were no chaperones available when she arrived for her appointment. However, Chi claims a chaperon was waiting outside the examination room during the procedure.

Tyndall allegedly targeted students from China as many of them had limited understanding of US medical norms and had never experienced a gynecology exam before.

According to Jane Reilley, an attorney at Manly Stewart& Finaldi, which represents Chi, up to half of the clients that contacted the firm about the USC case were either Asian-Americans or Chinese international students.

There are more than 5,400 overseas Chinese students at USC, out of an enrollment close to 44,000, more than from any other foreign country.

Liu Yinmeng in Los Angeles contributed to this story.

(China Daily 06/01/2018 page12)