Firm News

A federal court has granted a motion filed by survivors represented by Sauder Schelkopf and co-counsel seeking documents and information concerning The Ohio State University’s role in the Perkins Coie investigation into decades of sexual abuse by former university physician Dr. Richard Strauss. In an Opinion and Order issued January 28, 2026, Judge Michael H. Watson and Magistrate Judge Elizabeth A. Preston Deavers rejected Ohio State’s efforts to block discovery and held that plaintiffs are entitled to seek evidence concerning how the investigation was conducted, what documents were provided to Perkins

Columbus, OH — January 12, 2026 — A federal court in the Southern District of Ohio has authorized plaintiffs in the Ohio State University sexual abuse litigation to effect alternative service of a subpoena on non-party Leslie Wexner, following findings that repeated efforts to serve him personally were unsuccessful. Read the Court’s Order here In an order entered January 12, 2026, the Court granted plaintiffs’ motion for alternative service, concluding that plaintiffs demonstrated diligent efforts to serve Mr. Wexner through traditional means and that the proposed alternative methods were “reasonably calculated

Sauder Schelkopf has been at the forefront of the Ohio State University sexual-abuse litigation since its inception in 2018. Earlier this month, Sauder Schelkopf and co-counsel filed a motion seeking permission to serve a deposition subpoena on Mr. Wexner through alternative means, after traditional service efforts were unsuccessful. The motion outlines multiple attempts by private process servers and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to deliver the subpoena, as well as communications with an attorney previously identified as representing Mr. Wexner. Wexner served on the Ohio State Board of Trustees from 1988