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 Coie, and what Ohio State officials knew about the report and its findings.
Read the Court’s Order here
The Court concluded that the requested discovery is relevant to the survivors’ Title IX claims and to the admissibility and reliability of the Perkins Coie report, which documented extensive abuse and institutional failures at Ohio State.
Read the Perkins Coie Strauss Report here
Judge Watson ordered Ohio State and plaintiffs to meet and confer within ten days to narrow search terms and custodians and to report back to the Court within thirty days regarding their progress toward production.
“This ruling represents an important step toward transparency and accountability,” said Joe Sauder of Sauder Schelkopf. “Survivors have fought for years to uncover what Ohio State knew, what it disclosed, and how it shaped the investigation into Strauss’s abuse. The Court made clear that Ohio State cannot shield that information from scrutiny.”
Sports Illustrated: Why Aren’t More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal?
The Court also rejected Ohio State’s argument that the discovery requests were overly burdensome or improper “discovery-about-discovery,” emphasizing that plaintiffs are entitled to explore the University’s involvement in the investigation and its public communications following the report’s release.
The underlying litigation centers on former students’ allegations that Ohio State failed to protect them from sexual abuse by Strauss from 1979 through 1998. Multiple lawsuits remain active, and Sauder Schelkopf continues to represent a group of survivors seeking accountability and institutional reform.
For more information about this case or to speak with an attorney, please contact us by completing the form on this page or call 1-888-711-9975.