California gynaecologist accused of abusing hundreds of patients found dead before trial

George Tyndall, a former gynaecologist at the University of Southern California (USC) who faced allegations that led his employer to pay out the largest sexual abuse settlement in history, has been found dead at his home.

Tyndall faced trial for 18 counts of sexual penetration of an unconscious person and nine counts of sexual battery by fraud, relating to 16 patients. He was due in court later this month to set a date for his trial next year.

Tyndall, 76, was found lifeless in bed by a friend who used a key to enter his house after failing to reach him by phone. There were no signs of violence and the cause of death is unknown. The county medical examiner has declined to conduct an autopsy, saying the death was explained by Tyndall’s “history of natural disease.”

His lawyer Leonard Levine said in a …