Three New OYA Staffers Named in Lawsuits As 17 More Victims Sue State for Child Sexual Abuse

*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***

Three New OYA Staffers Named in Lawsuits

As 17 More Victims Sue State for Child Sexual Abuse

• Suits Publicly Allege Abuse by Long-time OYA Staffers Scott Scrabeck, Robert Blacksmith, and Alex Blevins
• Meanwhile, 12 More Victims of “Dr. Cold Fingers” Also File Suit (Now Totaling 51), With More to Come
• State Now Facing More than $275 Million in Liability
• Victims’ Lawyers Say “Culture of Indifference Allowed Predators to Thrive”

Portland, Oregon –

Attorneys for victims of child sexual abuse within the Oregon Youth Authority filed a slate of new lawsuits on Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The suits – on behalf of 17 more victims – name three new OYA staffers as perpetrators, in addition to asserting more claims against the now-notorious Dr. Edward Edwards. These 17 victims are in addition to the 39 that have already filed.

Some specifics about the new lawsuits are as follows:

• VICTIMS FILE FIRST ABUSE LAWSUIT NAMING OYA STAFFER SCOTT SCRABECK:  Three female victims in the newly-filed case of D.R., R.V., and S.S. v. State of Oregon et al. allege sexual abuse by Scott J. Scrabeck, a correctional officer at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility in Salem, Oregon. The three victims each allege in the lawsuit that they were sexually abused by Scrabeck between approximately 1999 and 2008 when the victims were teenage girls in OYA’s custody. The suit alleges the victims were as young as 15 years old when the abuse began. The victims allege the abuse included Scrabeck groping plaintiffs’ genitals, breasts and buttocks; forcing the girls to masturbate Scrabeck; Scrabeck masturbating while watching the girls shower; and various other types of sexualized comments and conduct. Each plaintiff alleges multiple incidents of abuse by Scrabeck, with one victim alleging dozens of incidents of sexual abuse. The suit alleges that, at the time the plaintiffs were abused, “Scrabeck’s sexual abuse of children at Hillcrest was known among Hillcrest youths and staff.” (Complaint at ¶1.) Documents obtained by the victims’ attorneys confirm that Scrabeck was on staff at OYA’s Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility from at least 1998 until that facility closed in 2017. Thereafter, public records indicate that Scrabeck remained working with youth in OYA at the Oak Creek Correctional Facility until his retirement in 2023.

• VICTIM FILES FIRST ABUSE LAWSUIT NAMING OYA STAFFER ALEX BLEVINS: In the newly filed case of M.S. and B.Y. v. State of Oregon et al, another female victim (identified by the pseudonym “B.Y.”) alleges that she was sexually abused by OYA staffer Alex Blevins, a Group Life Coordinator at OYA’s Oak Creek Youth Correction Facility. Specifically, the victim alleges that between approximately 2009 and 2011 (starting when she was 16 years old), she was sexually abused on at least 10 occasions by Blevins, including skin-on-skin fondling, groping of Plaintiff’s breasts and genitals, and forced masturbation. The suit alleges that Alex Blevins began working for OYA at Oak Creek Correctional Facility as a Group Life Coordinator in 2009.  Police records obtained by the victim’s attorney corroborate that B.Y. reported abuse by Blevins to Oregon State Police in 2011; however, there is no record of any action being taken against Blevins, and he continued his employment with OYA for at least three more years (until 2014). Public records indicate that Blevins “was terminated from his position in 2014 for creating an unprofessional and hostile work environment and for his dishonesty during the investigation.” (Complaint at ¶34.) The new lawsuit alleges that Blevins’ termination from OYA in 2014 was related to complaints by female OYA staff members about sexually inappropriate comments and conduct.

• VICTIM FILES FIRST ABUSE LAWSUIT NAMING OYA STAFFER ROBERT BLACKSMITH: Another victim identified by the pseudonym “M.S.” in the newly filed case of M.S. and B.Y. v. State of Oregon et al. alleges sexual abuse by Robert L. Blacksmith, an employee of OYA working at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility.The suit alleges that Blacksmith began working for OYA in the mid-1990s and remained on staff until he was fired from his position at OYA in 2006.Today’s lawsuit alleges that M.S. (they/them) was abused by Robert Blacksmith six to eight times, starting when the victim was around the age of 15. The suit alleges the abuse included Blacksmith aggressively groping and grabbing M.S.’s genitals. The suit also alleges that, before the end of the abuse, M.S. reported Blacksmith’s abuse to a female OYA staff worker and a male OYA supervisor. Rather than take action, the suit alleges that the OYA supervisor threatened to withhold M.S.’s visits with their family if M.S. did not withdraw their reports of abuse by Blacksmith. As a vulnerable teenager, M.S. felt forced to comply and the abuse continued.The new lawsuit alleges that “Blacksmith was terminated by OYA [in 2006] after being caught misusing the state computer system to find information about a specific minor boy he was attempting to locate and initiate contact with.”   (Complaint at ¶22.) The suit alleged that Blacksmith “attempted to groom and sexually abuse minor boys outside of OYA custody, as well as those inside. He targeted young boys online and in person, locally and internationally.” (Complaint at ¶24.)  Public records indicate that in November 2006, around the time of his termination from OYA, Blacksmith was indicted on 10 counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the First Degree in Marion County, Oregon. Thereafter, Defendant Blacksmith fled the state of Oregon in an attempt to evade these charges, but was subsequently located in Pasadena, California in April 2007, where he was found in the possession of child sexual abuse material (commonly referred to as “child pornography”) and arrested on additional California criminal charges. Ultimately, public records indicate that in 2010, Robert Blacksmith pled guilty and was convicted of all 10 counts of Encouraging Child Sexual Abuse in the First Degree in Marion County, Oregon. He was sentenced to 190 months in Oregon Department of Corrections custody.

• 12 MORE VICTIMS SUE OYA FOR ABUSE BY “DR. COLD FINGERS”: In addition, 12 more victims filed new lawsuits today against the State of Oregon alleging sexual abuse by long-time OYA staff pediatrician Dr. Edward Gary Edwards—notoriously known by many as “Dr. Cold Fingers.” The new cases brings the total number of known victims with pending claims alleging abuse by “Dr. Cold Fingers” to 51.The victims in the newly-filed case involving Dr. Edwards alleged abuse occurring while they were in OYA custody between approximately 2000 and 2007. Some of the victims were as young as 14 years old when the abuse began, according to the lawsuit. The suits allege that each youth was abused when they were isolated by Dr. Edwards for the purported purpose of medical examinations or treatment at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Oregon. Instead of receiving legitimate examinations or treatment, the suit alleges that each boy was sexually abused by Dr. Edwards, including the doctor groping their testicles and penises without gloves, working to get them aroused and masturbating them, and in some instances penetrating their anuses with his fingers. Many of the victims were abused on numerous occasions.Dr. Edwards served as the primary medical provider at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility for decades. Dr. Edwards is alleged to have used his position of authority to abuse boys in his care from at least the late 1990s until his departure in 2017. The lawsuits claim that MacLaren administrators, staff, and youth all knew about his conduct. According to the lawsuits, OYA staff ignored, minimized, or even enabled the abuse. Some corrections officers reportedly used threats of “a visit with Dr. Cold Fingers” as a form of punishment.

COMMENTS BY VICTIMS’ ATTORNEYS & ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

“Today’s new lawsuits further expose the institutional betrayal that occurred inside OYA facilities for decades,” said attorney Peter Janci of Crew Janci LLP, one of the attorneys representing the victims in today’s lawsuits. “Many of the victims we represent previously reported their abuse to OYA but were ignored or silenced. In many instances, the State had opportunities to prevent or stop the abuse of our clients, but the State chose not to intervene. This wasn’t just a failure of oversight — this was a sustained culture of indifference that allowed predators operating within OYA to thrive for decades.”

“The State placed these kids in the custody of OYA for rehabilitation—not to be molested by state-employed predators. These new cases involving allegations of abuse against several more OYA staffers underscore that sexual abuse of youth in OYA custody was pervasive,” said Paul Galm, one of the attorneys for the victims. “We believe there are many other victims out there who were abused as children in OYA custody. And the evidence increasingly shows that OYA leadership knew or should have known it was happening.”

“These were kids in state custody. Many had already experienced trauma and instability. OYA was supposed to protect and rehabilitate them. Instead, OYA gave predatory staffers a badge of authority, unfettered access to vulnerable children, and a blind eye towards abuses,” said attorney Kendall Spinella. “It is our hope that these lawsuits will not only provide justice for the victims but finally spark long-overdue reform at OYA.”

The lawsuits each allege civil rights violations, negligence, and sexual battery under Oregon law. The combined damages sought by the victims of Dr. Edwards alone who have filed suit to date now total more than $250 million.

Recent investigations and media reports have spotlighted OYA’s growing backlog of uninvestigated sexual abuse complaints. Legislative hearings and a 2023 audit have also exposed chronic failures in OYA’s Professional Standards Office and lack of compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act.

“It’s time the State of Oregon stopped hiding behind bureaucracy and started taking proactive steps towards making amends for the harms they allowed to these children,” said Janci.

The victims’ attorneys say additional lawsuits are expected in the coming months.

Information on Attorneys for Victims:

Peter Janci is considered a “go-to” attorney for victims of sexual abuse in Oregon and around the United States. Between 2022 and 2025, Janci helped obtain nearly $25 million in settlements from the federal government for victims of child sexual abuse by Indian Health Services pediatrician Dr. Stanley Patrick Weber. He also helped obtain a record $3.5 million settlement for a public school sexual abuse victim in Jessica Doe v. St. Helens School District. And his work on behalf of victims’ sexual abuse within the Boy Scouts of America was featured in the 2022 ABC News/Hulu Documentary “Leave No Trace”.

For years, attorney Paul Galm has worked tirelessly to hold government institutions accountable, particularly on behalf of Oregon’s most vulnerable victims. Since 2017, Paul has helped child abuse victims and their families obtain over $15 million from the State of Oregon’s Department of Human Services for failures in DHS’ child protective and foster care services. In 2024, Paul Galm settled with the State of Oregon for a record $3.5 million on behalf of the family of a prisoner who died after his heart attack symptoms were ignored by medical providers at the Oregon State Penitentiary.

# # #

Copies of the new lawsuits are available upon request.

Media Contact:

Peter Janci – CREW JANCI LLP

(888) 407-0224
info@crewjanci.com