Documents identify former local priest in single claim of sexual abuse
A Vida man’s name surfaces when a judge releases records tied to lawsuits filed against the Portland archdiocese
A former local priest is among Roman Catholic clergymen named in documents released Wednesday by order of U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan in connection with lawsuits filed by victims of sexual abuse.
The documents are the latest public disclosure from the April 2007 settlement of an Archdiocese of Portland bankruptcy case arising from 175 sexual abuse claims by former parishioners.
The archdiocese paid $77 million to settle the lawsuits in exchange for continuing its operations without selling any parish or school properties.
The latest documents became public after the Eugene judge arbitrated a dispute between abuse survivors and the archdiocese over the records. Hogan’s decision was lauded Wednesday in a statement by Portland attorney Kelly Clark, who represented more than 40 victims of what he called “pedophile priests.”
Clark said Hogan’s decision forced the archdiocese to release “virtually all of the disputed categories of documents, including those regarding priests who had ‘only’ one claim of abuse filed.”
Posted on Friday, November 28th, 2008, in Our Work In the News | No Comments »
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Sex-abuse award largest in state
Woman’s $4.5 million in damages stem from suit against stepfather
Statesman Journal
November 11, 2008
A woman was awarded a total of $4.5 million in damages for emotional and physical harm inflicted by her stepfather in what her attorneys say involves the largest award for a sex abuse trial in the state.
Marion County Circuit Judge Lynn Ashcroft added$3 million in punitive damages Monday to the $1.5 million in damages a jury already had levied.
The 24-year-old woman, who asked not to be identified, brought the case against her stepfather, Edward Webb, on accusations that included sexual molestation and inappropriate touching.
Webb’s attorney, Robert Gunn, declined to comment Monday.
The woman was awarded$1.5 million in noneconomic damages on Oct. 31 after a three-day jury trial, said attorney Gilion Dumas of the firm O’Donnell Clark and Crew.
Dumas said the firm also believes the case was the largest award for any personal injury case in Marion County.
"It definitely shows that if the victims of sex abuse are brave enough to come forward, the court system will treat them fairly and with respect in their search for justice," she said.
The alleged acts began when the woman was 11 or 12 years old and continued until she was about 14 years old. Court documents also said Webb, 43, forced the girl into such acts such as wearing pantyhose, tying her up and touching her.
The suit was brought under Oregon law that allows adults to sue their childhood abusers, Dumas said. The woman did not report the abuse under Oregon’s criminal child-abuse law because the statute of limitations had run out.
Posted on Tuesday, November 11th, 2008, in Our Work In the News | No Comments »
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Woman awarded $4.5 million in sex abuse case
Associated Press
November 10, 2008
SALEM, Ore. (AP) - A woman who sued her stepfather after claiming she was repeatedly sexually abused as a child has been awarded $4.5 million in damages.
A Marion County jury awarded the 24-year-old woman $1.5 million for pain and suffering before a judge awarded her $3 million in punitive damages in a separate hearing without the jury on Monday.
The woman’s attorney, Gilion Dumas, said it was 1 of the largest awards in a sexual abuse case in the history of the state.
Testimony at trial indicated the woman was only 12 when her stepfather, Edward Webb, would tie her up, force her to wear nylons and then abuse her.
Webb’s attorney, Robert Gunn, declined to comment on the case.
Posted on Monday, November 10th, 2008, in Our Work In the News | No Comments »
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Jury awards woman $1.5 million in child-abuse case
She says her stepfather physically and sexually harmed her as a child
Statesman Journal
November 7, 2008
A Marion County jury awarded a woman $1.5 million in damages for emotional and physical harm inflicted by her stepfather when she was a child.
The jury returned its verdict against defendant Edward Webb last week after a three-day trial in front of Circuit Judge Lynn Ashcroft.
The 24-year-old woman, who asked not to be identified, brought the suit under Oregon law that allows adults to sue their childhood abusers, said the woman’s attorney, Gilion Dumas of the Portland law firm O’Donnell Clark and Crew.
The woman did not report the abuse under Oregon’s criminal child-abuse law because the statute of limitations had run out, Dumas said.
The trial lasted from Oct. 28 to 30, and the jury deliberated the morning of Oct. 31 before coming back with a verdict by noon, Dumas said.
Dumas thinks the jury verdict was one of the largest of its kind in Oregon.
The $1.5 million was awarded for noneconomic damages. The jury also awarded the woman about $52,900 in economic damages for past and future counseling, Dumas said.
Webb’s attorney, Robert Gunn, did not return repeated calls for comment.
According to court documents, all of the alleged actions began when the woman was 11 or 12 years old and continued until she was about 14 years old.
Webb, now 43, sexually molested the girl and forced her to perform acts such as wearing pantyhose, tying her up and touching her inappropriately, the court documents said.
The court documents said Webb was found dressed as a woman when the girl came home from school and the abuse would occur.
Ashcroft will determine punitive damages Monday.
rliao@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 589-6941
Posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008, in Our Work In the News | No Comments »
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