Full Breakdown
Annie Farmer backs push to strip Leslie Wexner’s name from Ohio State University buildings
By Drooid · · How we work
Core event
Annie Farmer, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual-abuse network, publicly endorsed the campaign to remove billionaire Leslie Wexner’s name from several Ohio State University (OSU) facilities. In an emailed response to NBC News, Farmer said “Hundreds of students and alumni have made it clear that they do not want Wexner’s name on their buildings including many of the brave athletes who are survivors of Richard Strauss.” She argued that directing sexual-assault victims to the Wexner Medical Center for exams is “highly problematic.”
Background and context
Wexner, who funded the Wexner Football Complex, the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, served on OSU’s Board of Trustees while campus doctor Richard Strauss allegedly abused male students from 1978-1998. Strauss’s abuse was exposed by whistleblowers Stephen Snyder-Hill and Michael DiSabato, former wrestlers who later sued the university. Farmer, who was 16 in 1996 when Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly assaulted her at a New Mexico ranch, testified in the 2021 Maxwell trial. She draws a parallel between the “network of enablers” that protected Epstein and the environment that allowed Strauss’s predation.
Settlement and legal context
In June, OSU settled with 279 Strauss survivors, agreeing to pay $100 million in damages. A special master is currently tasked with allocating the nine-figure settlement among the claimants. The settlement follows a broader legal battle in which 317 plaintiffs, including many former wrestlers, previously reached agreements with the university.
Official statements & responses
He noted that OSU follows an established process for evaluating renaming petitions.
Verbatim quotes
- “Hundreds of students and alumni have made it clear that they do not want Wexner’s name on their buildings including many of the brave athletes who are survivors of Richard Strauss,” — Jeffrey Epstein. Annie Farmer
- “We have received requests related to Les Wexner, and they remain under review,” — Benjamin Johnson, OSU spokesperson
- “Both illustrate the tremendous harm that predators can cause when they are surrounded by a network of enablers who look the other way because it is uncomfortable or inconvenient to acknowledge their crimes,” — Jeffrey Epstein. Annie Farmer
- “My sister, Maria Farmer, has long been grateful for the way this group of brave men has spoken out,” — Jeffrey Epstein. Annie Farmer