Former Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee is officially headed to the hot seat. A federal judge in Columbus on Wednesday ordered the ex-buckeye chief to sit for a deposition in lawsuits tied to decades-old sexual abuse by the university's former team physician, Dr. Richard Strauss.
The ruling adds fresh momentum to a sprawling court fight that has already pulled in high-profile names and years of university records. Survivors and their attorneys say questioning top leaders under oath is central to answering the blunt question at the heart of the case: what did administrators know, and when did they know it.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson granted plaintiffs' motion to compel Gee to appear for questioning sooner rather than later. The order was filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio in Columbus.
What The Court Filing Says
A related court filing lays out broad discovery demands, including requests tied to Ohio State's independent Perkins Coie investigation and instructions for the parties to meet and confer about what they will turn over. The filing shows Judge Watson has been pressing both sides to sort out their discovery fights ahead of trial, according to a court docket entry.
Background On The Strauss Litigation
Plaintiffs say Dr. Richard Strauss abused students from the late 1970s through the 1990s, across multiple sports and settings on campus. Ohio State has already reached settlements with hundreds of victims, and total payouts exceed $60 million. Survivors and their lawyers argue that testimony from former presidents, trustees and donors is crucial to building a clear timeline of who knew what and when as the lawsuits move closer to trial.
Gee's Role And Comments
Gee's tenure as Ohio State president overlapped with Strauss in the 1990s. He has previously told reporters that he expected to be deposed and that he "cannot remember much" from that era, according to WOSU. Survivors have criticized public comments Gee made defending university donors and say sworn testimony from former presidents is a vital piece of the record.
High-Profile Witnesses Already Questioned
Plaintiffs have been steadily working their way up the university's power ladder. A judge denied a motion to quash a subpoena for retailer Leslie Wexner and ordered his deposition in January, according to Ideastream Public Media. The Associated Press has previously reported that U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a former Ohio State assistant wrestling coach, was deposed last year in related litigation. Those sessions have helped plaintiffs map out what university leaders knew and when.
What Comes Next
The new order directs the parties to coordinate scheduling and report back to Judge Watson, a procedural step that typically locks in a calendar for depositions. A January opinion that expanded discovery required the parties to meet and confer within ten days and to report their progress within 30 days, according to the docket.
For survivors, compelled testimony from a former university president is another chance to press for clarity about who bears responsibility. For Ohio State and its past leaders, it marks another round of uncomfortable questions under oath. This story will be updated as Gee's deposition is scheduled and additional court filings surface.
