Abuse at Douglas County Foster Home
In Douglas County, Oregon, a disturbing case of alleged abuse has emerged from a foster home where two young brothers reportedly suffered years of mistreatment. The severity of the situation is underscored by the fact that one of the brothers recently settled a lawsuit against the state, receiving over $400,000 in compensation. Now, a second complaint has been filed regarding another boy who endured similar abuse in the same foster home.
The complaint was lodged on June 8th, 2023 in Douglas County Circuit Court on behalf of a child who was 7 years old at the time of the alleged abuse. The boy currently resides with his aunt and is being represented by attorney Paul C. Galm from Beaverton, Oregon. The lawsuit targets the State of Oregon and its Department of Human Services (DHS), seeking $2.55 million in damages for negligence.
At present, the state has not issued a response to the complaint, and a spokesperson for DHS has declined to comment on pending litigation. However, the foster care parents involved in the complaint, as well as the incidents said to have occurred within their home, were already the subject of a previous complaint settled earlier this year. In that case, the state and DHS agreed to pay $425,000 in damages.
According to the latest complaint, DHS was aware of the boy’s vulnerability due to a history of abuse and neglect. The foster home housed an older boy with a documented record of behavioral problems, including physical and sexual maltreatment of younger children, which posed a significant risk of assault and abuse. DHS was notified of potential issues in the home in May 2017 and conducted an investigation. Subsequently, in September 2017, another report of abuse was received, this time alleging sexual abuse, exploitation, and neglect. The complaint explicitly states that the boy was sexually assaulted.
DHS confirmed the validity of those allegations. The older boy is said to have repeatedly subjected the younger boy to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Despite being responsible for the safety and well-being of the children in the foster home, DHS allegedly failed to adequately monitor the situation, neglecting to remove the boy from the abusive environment despite numerous credible reports of physical and emotional abuse.
The complaint argues that DHS exhibited negligence in its oversight of the foster home, resulting in the boy’s abuse, which the plaintiff contends was a foreseeable consequence of the agency’s breach of duty. As a result of the abuse, the boy incurred economic losses, including counseling costs amounting to $50,000. Moreover, the alleged abuse has had severe psychological consequences, leading to mental anguish, shame, fear, hyperactivity, difficulty concentrating, isolation, disruption of schooling and social life, nightmares, sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, and other forms of psychological trauma. the boy is seeking $2.5 million in damages for these alleged repercussions.
Attorney Paul C. Galm, who also represented another boy from the same foster home in a similar complaint, expresses concerns about the supervision and diligence of DHS. Galm believes there may be additional victims from this foster home, as several people came forward following a previous news report about the initial complaint, claiming they too had suffered abuse in the same environment.
Read more in detail about this case on The News Review’s website now.