OREGON FOSTER CARE SEXUAL ABUSE LAWSUITS

Fighting for Victims of Sexual Abuse in Foster Care & Group Homes in Oregon

The stories emerging from Oregon’s foster care system are nothing short of devastating. Oregon’s foster care crisis is not just a failure of policy—it is a failure of humanity. 

If you or a loved one was sexually abused in any Oregon foster care or group home, Levy Konigsberg is ready to fight for you. Contact us today.

High-Profile Payouts Illustrate How Survivors Can Use Civil Suits to Secure Justice

A number of high-profile legal filings, settlements, and verdicts have illustrated how government-operated foster care systems, private programs, and other responsible entities can be held liable for failures to protect foster children who are sexually abused. These cases have served an important purpose in highlighting systemic issues within foster care systems and have shown how survivors can harness the power of the civil justice system to secure the compensation they deserve.

Some examples in Oregon include:

• In December 2023, the Oregon Department of Human Services (“DHS”) agreed to a $40 million settlement with four former foster children who suffered sexual and physical abuse in a foster home. The lawsuit alleges caseworkers repeatedly ignored signs of abuse and tried to cover up the abuse of one child who suffered seven broken bones – even as a criminal prosecution was underway. The case stems to 2011 when DHS certified Melissa and Casey Miller, a couple in Keizer, to be foster parents  In December 2011, the first two children, a 2-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl, were placed in the home. Within a month, the boy showed signs of abuse, including bruises on his face, neck, ribs, and legs, but DHS ignored multiple reports and calls to the child abuse hotline. The girl also displayed signs of sexual abuse, but instead of removing her, DHS worked with the Millers to limit her visits with her biological mother. Despite numerous reports of abuse, additional children were placed in the home.  Eventually, in 2017, Casey Miller was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual abuse of his foster children.  Melissa Miller was not charged.

• In March 2018, DHS settled for $1.3 million with a child who, in 2014 when she was 4 years old, was placed with Gabriel David Wallis, a foster father who allegedly sexually abused her. The lawsuit claimed the state certified Wallis as a foster care provider despite observing warning signs for abuse.

• In December 2014, a Portland jury awarded $4.1 million to two young girls who alleged their foster mother, Kimberly Janelle Vollmer, physically and sexually abused them.  In January 2011, DHS approved Vollmer as a foster parent despite a history of psychiatric hospitalization for self-harm and being fired from a caregiver job due to repeated medical negligence.  Before DHS intervened in January 2013, the agency had received seven reports to the child-abuse hotline about Vollmer. DHS finally acted after a church pastor and his wife noticed a handprint on the face of the 4-year-old victim, along with blood in the corner of her mouth. 

Do I Have a Case?

You may have grounds to file a civil legal action if you were sexually abused in a foster care home.

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.

Levy Konigsberg is actively investigating allegations of sexual abuse at any Oregon foster home.

We are here for survivors of sexual abuse in foster care—listening, supporting, and fighting for justice. Every child deserves safety, and we are committed to holding those who failed them accountable while working toward a future where no child has to endure such pain.