LAPD found nude photos of women found in storage unit owned by Tyndall


Los Angeles police found nude photos of women in a storage unit owned by former USC gynecologist George Tyndall during an investigation into his activities, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

“Some time in June or July LAPD served a search warrant where additional evidence was located, and this is still an ongoing investigation,” Los Angeles Police Department confirmed in a statement to the Daily Trojan.

In an interview with the Times, LAPD Capt. Billy Hayes said that most photos depicted women not connected to the University, although some appeared to depict women in medical examination rooms. Hayes said detectives are determining whether the images were taken at clinic appointments on campus although the victims are difficult to identify because some photos date back decades.

After Tyndall’s departure in June 2016, USC administrators found photos in his office and conducted an independent investigation, through which they determined that the photos were clinical. Several plaintiffs stated in their lawsuits against Tyndall that he allegedly took photos during their medical examinations.

These findings are relevant to Tyndall’s alleged sexual misconduct toward female students over his near 30-year career at USC, which the LAPD is investigating. Hundreds of women have come forward with complaints against the former gynecologist since the Times published a report in May detailing Tyndall’s alleged actions. In October, the University agreed to a $215 million settlement for a federal class-action lawsuit filed by former patients of Tyndall.

Attorney Annika Martin, who represents victims in the federal class-action, said that previous allegations of such photos in Tyndall’s possession were taken into account when negotiating the settlement in October.

“I think that a piece of it goes into part of the harm that was inflicted on his patients by him both while they were in the room and now after the fact finding out that they were photographed without their consent,” Martin said. “It adds more improper conduct to the mix, certainly.”

Those included in the federal class-action lawsuit received a minimum of $2,500 for coming forward. Plaintiffs who provided more information in writing or via interview received up to $250,000.

“We’ve structured the settlement in a way that allows for choice and also allows for women who feel comfortable and are ready to choose to provide more information about what happened to them and how it impacted them,” Martin said. “I certainly think in that piece of the process the photographs and finding out about the nonconsensual photographs will certainly be part of the picture and will play into the assessment of each woman’s claim.”

Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents 54 victims in litigations against Tyndall and USC, said some of her clients gave Tyndall permission to take photos that he claimed would be used for treatment or research. She said her clients fear Tyndall may have taken photos of them without consent and posted these images online for pornographic purposes.

“I believe that it’s a gross invasion of privacy,” Allred said. “If in fact these were photos of his patients from USC or from anywhere, and it certainly heightens the fear that many of our clients have and the emotional distress that our clients have had and still have.”

Other lawyers representing victims echo similar sentiments. Attorney Andy Rubenstein said that about 10 of his 100 clients said Tyndall took photos of them at a clinic, under the pretense that they would be used for medical or research purposes. But Rubenstein said his clients never saw the photos in their medical charts.

“He was a doctor at the time, and they trusted him, and when he explained that he was taking these photos for their chart to be able to compare and look at photos now versus photos later to see if there’s been any growth or changes in the tissue, all of that sounded reasonable under the circumstances,” Rubenstein said. “But when they looked at their charts later, none of them contained any photos, which is suspect in and of itself.”

Rubenstein said the discovery of photos in Tyndall’s storage unit confirms his belief that the gynecologist never took these photos for medical or research purposes.

Attorney John Manly, who represents more than 200 victims, said many of his clients want to know if their photos were found in the storage unit, and whether they were distributed on the internet. He said he and his clients think Tyndall may have used the images for self-gratification or sold them.

“Many of these women now are in their 40s and some are in their 50s,” Manly said. “They’re wondering, ‘Are my children going to wake up one day and see my naked image on the internet?’ This is a violation of your personal space, your privacy. It’s humiliating; it’s shameful.”

So far, detectives have questioned at least 117 women and presented 85 cases in connection with Tyndall to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s sex crimes unit, according to the L.A. Times.

Tyndall’s attorney, Leonard Levine, told the Daily Trojan the new allegations do not constitute criminal behavior; the LAPD does not consider the possession of such photos a crime.

“None of the items allegedly seized, according to the report, involve criminal conduct of any kind,” Levine said. “Dr. Tyndall remains adamant that he engaged in no criminal conduct while he was employed as a physician at USC.”

A grand jury is currently hearing evidence on Tyndall’s case, although the Times reported that it is unclear whether the contents found in Tyndall’s storage unit will be entered as evidence.

USC Gould School of Law professor Orin Kerr said the images and videos could be used as evidence as long as they have been lawfully obtained.

“It could depend on exactly what he is charged with, but assuming it is misconduct with respect to his patients and the pictures are showing the misconduct with the patients that would certainly be relevant,” he said.

Kerr said that hard drives obtained from the storage unit could also be helpful in the investigation.

The University said it will continue to stand behind the USC community.

“USC has cooperated with LAPD’s investigation since its inception and will continue to do so,” the University said in a statement. “That cooperation includes our assurance not to comment on any aspect of their investigation. Our priority continues to be supporting our students, patients and entire university community by helping to bring resolution to this painful experience in a manner that respects the dignity and privacy of all of those impacted.”

Erica Hur contributed to this report.