A 16-year-old girl was given more than $1.3 million by a Multnomah County jury on Tuesday after it was determined that the state’s Department of Human Services had failed to protect her from sexual assault.
In 2021, Robert Thomas Wilson entered a guilty plea to the charge of sexually abusing the youngster, who was the daughter of his girlfriend. He is incarcerated for a number of years.
Since The Oregonian/OregonLive does not identify victims of sexual abuse without their consent, it is not naming the youngster.
In 2023, the teenager and her lawyers filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming that Department of Human Services employees failed to take action when they learned that Wilson was sexually grooming her before to the abuse.
At least three times in 2020, the child’s father and others, including a passerby who saw the girl and the mother’s boyfriend in a public park, reported Wilson’s actions to the child welfare agency and police, according to the attorneys. The girl and Wilson remained together, and the state closed those investigations without discovering any evidence of abuse.
In court documents, Wilson’s lawyers claimed that the state was aware of the threat Wilson posed to the adolescent and should have been aware of it. They claimed that Wilson proceeded to sexually groom her and subsequently started assaulting her as a result of the state’s neglect.
State lawyers told the jury that the youngster was not sexually abused until around a year after the department received complaints that Wilson was mistreating her.
Attorneys for the state stated that despite sending a caseworker to interview the girl following several reports to the state’s child abuse hotline, the agency did not conclude that the youngster was in any immediate danger.
The state then filed a countersuit against the girl’s mother, claiming that she had overlooked red flags that Wilson was grooming her daughter.
The girl’s mother’s lawyer, Sean Riddell, retaliated in court, arguing that Wilson had deceived his client, a loving mother who made an effort to stay in touch with her daughter.
“She thought I was creating a family with her,” Riddell added. Like everyone else, she was duped and deceived.
The teenager and her mother were supported by the jurors. They concluded that the state was at blame for not protecting the teen and that the mother was not egregiously negligent. They granted the girl $1.3 million of the $4 million in emotional damages her lawyers had sought, as well as the entire $25,000 in monetary damages she had requested.
The Department of Human Services does not comment on lawsuits, according to a representative for the agency.
Following the verdict, the teen’s lawyer, Amity Girt, wrote, “I am so happy for my client and this measure of justice.” Oregon’s child protective services and child abuse hotline should be improved. I hope this outcome brings about some change.
Sami Edge writes for The Oregonian on politics and higher education. She may be contacted at (503) 260-3430 or [email protected].
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