Former OSU students suing over sexual abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss are demanding removal of Les Wexner’s name from the university’s football complex after alleging his team blocked service of a subpoena. Plaintiffs plan an on-campus protest to press Wexner to testify and to highlight his historical ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Ohio State says Wexner is not identified as a witness, and a 2020 EY review concluded the 2007 donation originated from Wexner’s charitable funds, though records also link the gift to an Epstein-related foundation. The legal dispute over service and naming is ongoing.
OSU Alumni Demand Les Wexner’s Name Be Removed From Football Complex Over Subpoena Dispute and Epstein Links
Leslie Wexner in Columbus, Ohio, in 2014. (Jay LaPrete / AP)
Former Ohio State University students suing the school over sexual abuse by campus physician Dr. Richard Strauss are calling for the removal of Les Wexner’s name from OSU’s football complex. Plaintiffs allege Wexner has avoided being served with a subpoena seeking testimony about Strauss, and they plan an on-campus protest to press him to appear and to highlight his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
What Alumni Are Saying
“Wexner’s name should not be on the Les Wexner football complex because he continues to defy subpoenas from lawyers representing students who are suing Ohio State for not protecting them from Strauss, and because of his association with Epstein,” said former OSU wrestler Mike DiSabato. “Epstein and Maxwell were directly involved in funding this facility.”
Subpoena and Service Dispute
Attorneys for some Strauss survivors told the federal judge overseeing the litigation that process servers were blocked by private security when attempting to serve a subpoena on Wexner. They say Wexner’s attorney refused to accept or forward the subpoena and asserted that Wexner has no relevant information. Last month the plaintiffs asked Judge Michael H. Watson for permission to use an alternate method of service; the judge has not yet ruled.
Jeffrey Epstein, Les Wexner and a person who has been redacted pose together in an undated photo. (U. S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)
A Wexner spokesman declined to comment on the planned protest or on the allegation that service was blocked.
Donations and Epstein Connection
Records show Wexner, founder of Limited Brands (now L Brands Inc.), donated $2.5 million in 2007 toward construction of the football complex. That gift was reportedly matched by a contribution tied to a foundation associated with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein served as Wexner’s money manager from the mid-1980s until about 2007.
Protesters hold signs at the Ohio State University board of trustees meeting in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 4. (Courtesy of Michael DiSabato)
Ohio State commissioned an independent review by EY published in 2020 to examine Epstein-related gifts. The review concluded that the 2007 donation “originated from the Wexner Children’s Trust and the Leslie H. Wexner Charitable Fund and not from Jeffrey Epstein,” while noting records that also link the contribution to Epstein’s C.O.U.Q. Foundation.
University Response and Legal Posture
In a December 10 court filing in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, OSU attorney Michael Carpenter argued the university has not identified Wexner as a witness in the litigation and therefore does not need to subpoena him. When asked about the alumni demand to remove Wexner’s name, OSU pointed reporters to its naming review procedure, which states renaming is permitted only under “exceptional and narrow circumstances.”
A 1978 employment application for Dr. Richard Strauss, from Ohio State University personnel files. (Ohio State University via AP)
Survivors have staged demonstrations to press the issue, including a recent protest at a board of trustees meeting displaying posters that read “WHERE’S WEXNER.”
Background: The Strauss Allegations
Dr. Richard Strauss, a former OSU physician, is alleged to have sexually abused students—mostly under the guise of physical examinations—between the mid-1970s and the late 1990s. Strauss died by suicide in 2005. An internal Ohio State investigation published in 2019 concluded that at least 177 male students were sexually abused by Strauss. Since 2018, the university has paid more than $60 million in settlements to 296 people who came forward.
Wexner and Epstein
Wexner has not been accused of wrongdoing in the Strauss litigation and has condemned Epstein’s crimes as “abhorrent.” Still, the two men had a close financial relationship for many years: Epstein was a key money manager for Wexner, and Wexner once granted Epstein power of attorney and appointed him a trustee of the Wexner Foundation. Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Note: The allegations about blocking service and the petition to remove Wexner’s name are part of ongoing legal proceedings and public protests. Wexner’s involvement in the Strauss matter remains limited in court filings, and the judge has yet to rule on the plaintiffs’ request for alternate service.
