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USC Sexual Harassment Scandal Widens as 18 More Male Victims Join Lawsuit

On Behalf of | May 20, 2019 | Articles

The University of Southern California (USC) has once again come into the limelight for the wrong reasons.

Eighteen more current and former students have joined a lawsuit accusing Dennis Kelly, a physician who treated student-patients, of sexual harassment and misconduct, escalating the already widening scandal at the University.

The total number of men who have come forward with their experiences has risen. Two of them, revealed their experiences publicly for the first time.

Number of Plaintiffs goes up to 50

The attorneys representing the plaintiffs in this lawsuit announced that the recent revelations have put the total number of plaintiffs who suffered abuse at the hands of Dennis Kelly and an indifferent USC administration at 50.

They said that more victims are bravely coming up and sharing their stories of abuse, thanks to the efforts of the news media and those from the LGBTQ community.

The plaintiffs have alleged that Dr. Kelly engaged in inappropriate sexual misconduct and also discriminated amongst student-patients based on their sexual orientation and gender.

Victims Share Details

One current and one former USC student shared details about their experience with Dr. Kelly, for the first time in a press conference held recently.

Ali Jalal-Kamali, a current PHD student at the University revealed that he was uncomfortable around Dr. Kelly since his first encounter with the physician was strange. This is because Kelly asked invasive sexual questions and always had a creepy smile on his face according to Ali Jalal-Kamali.

Dennis Kelly questioned him about everything from his sexual practices to the age, ethnicity, and physical appearance of his partner at the time.

Being an international student, Ali was already uncomfortable sharing his sexual life with the physician and wasn’t sure of what a doctor could and couldn’t do or ask at the University.

A former USC graduate, who was active in campus LGBTQ organisations, John Keyse opened up about his experience with Kelly and told the media that Kelly conducted a rectal examination on him in a medically unnecessary way and in a manner that was designed to increase the student’s embarrassment and discomfort.

Keyse’s goal of sharing his story with the public was the reformation of the USC healthcare system into a model and acceptable system.

The new complaint states that Dr. Kelly was targeting the gay and bisexual student population of the University; all young adults of which some were visiting the doctor without a parent accompanying them for the first time. Dennis Kelly subjected them to intrusive questioning and medically unnecessary examinations.

USC has had its image devastated by this situation and Dr. Kelly is not the only problem with this university.

USC Opposes Bill 1510

Mikayla Kellogg, one of the attorneys representing the victims, reprimanded USC for opposing the California Assembly Bill 1510 which allows student survivors of sexual assault to bring forth claims even one year after the occurrence of the incident. This is otherwise not permitted according to California’s statute of limitations.

Consult an Experienced California Sexual Harassment Attorney

Makarem & Associates has highly experienced sexual harassment attorneys in California.

If you or a loved one has been a victim of sexual harassment, contact Makarem & Associates at 310-312-0299 or email at [email protected] to receive the best legal advice for your case.