HILLCREST YOUTH CORRECTIONAL FACILITY SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS 

Fighting for Survivors Sexually Abused at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility in Oregon

The alleged abuse at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility represents a cycle of harm that must be broken. Survivors are stepping forward to demand accountability and ensure no one else suffers. Levy Konigsberg is here to help you break the chains of injustice and fight for a better future. Reach out today.

History of Sexual Abuse at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility in Oregon

Examples of alleged abuse at the facility, and of conditions likely to lead to abuse, include the following:

• In July 2025, three women who were teenagers between 1999 and 2008 filed a lawsuit alleging that former Hillcrest corrections officer Scott J. Scrabeck groped them, forced them to touch his genitals and masturbated while watching them shower while they were at the facility.  One of the women alleged the abuse occurred “dozens” of times and the two others reported multiple incidents of abuse, according to the suit.  The suit further alleges that Scrabeck’s abuse was an “open secret” in Hillcrest. Scrabeck reportedly worked at Hillcrest from 1998 until the detention center closed in 2017 and then worked at Oak Creek until he retired in 2023, according to the suit.

• Another suit filed at the same time alleges former Hillcrest staffer Robert L. Blacksmith abused a boy between 2001 and 2002 and that a supervisor quashed the boy’s report by threatening to withhold family visits.  That Plaintiff alleges that Blacksmith abused him six to eight times, starting when he was 15 when Blacksmith would escort him to an isolation room at Hillcrest.   Blacksmith allegedly “aggressively grabbed and groped,” the boy’s genitals, and would tell him, “you deserve this.” Blacksmith was reportedly fired in 2006 after he was caught misusing the state computer system to look for information about a boy he was trying to find and contact.  He was later reportedly indicted in Marion County on 10 counts of encouraging child sex abuse around the time of his firing. He fled the state but was found in California in 2007 and arrested on additional allegations of possessing child sexual abuse material. He reportedly pleaded guilty three years later to 10 counts of encouraging child sexual abuse and was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison. 

• In 1997, a former corrections officer with the Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility allegedly raped and sexually abused two teen inmates of the facility. 

• In March 1998, the former corrections officer with the Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility was arraigned on charges related to the alleged rape and sexual abuse of two teen girls who were inmates at the facility. 

• In August 2000, the former corrections officer with the Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility pled no contest to charges of sexually abusing a total of three girls while working at the facility. 

Do I Have a Case?

You may have grounds to file a civil legal action if:

• You were sexually abused by a guard, counselor, nurse, or other youth residential treatment or juvenile detention center staff member.
• The abuse occurred at any youth residential treatment or juvenile detention facility.

Levy Konigsberg represents survivors in civil lawsuits that aim to hold youth residential treatment facilities,  juvenile detention centers, private healthcare companies, and other facility operators accountable for their failures to stop abusive staff members and protect young residents.

As civil claims, these cases are separate from any criminal proceedings that may arise from abuse and focus instead on holding institutions liable for damages. This means you may still have a claim even if:

• Your abuser is no longer alive.
• Your abuser was never charged with or convicted of a crime.

Recoverable Damages in Sexual Abuse Claims

In addition to providing accountability and a sense of justice, civil sex abuse lawsuits allow survivors to recover financial compensation for their damages, which may include:

• Past medical and mental health expenses
• Future mental health expenses, including therapy, medications, etc.
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional anguish and psychological harm
• Lost income
• Other economic and non-economic damages

Oregon Sexual Abuse Attorneys

Under current law, survivors of childhood sexual abuse in Oregon have until their 40th birthday, or five years from the date they discover that their damages (which can include addiction, self-harm, and other mental health issues) are connected to their abuse, to file civil lawsuits.

We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and seeking justice for survivors of sexual abuse in juvenile detention centers and youth residential treatment facilities. Our experienced team is dedicated to providing legal representation and support to survivors, and we are actively investigating allegations of abuse. We are working tirelessly to ensure that survivors have access to justice and that future generations of young people are safe from harm within these institutions.