Three of the over 100 women we represent in an ongoing civil lawsuit alleging abhorrent sexual abuse at the hands of former Oregon doctor and prominent Mormon Church figure David Farley, bravely appeared on NewsNation to tell their stories.
The lawsuit, filed in 2020 against both Farley and the medical institutions that sheltered him and enabled his predation, claims that Farley exploited his position within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon church) to target his victims, taking advantage of the trust within a tight, devout community. The extent of Farley’s abuse is extremely disturbing, occurring under the guise of medical treatment, and often involved minors.
In the interview, the survivors expressed their frustration with the lack of action taken against Farley within both the church and the criminal system. Despite the overwhelming evidence, the DA failed to press criminal charges against Farley due to longstanding loopholes in Oregon law that required an extremely high burden of proof to prosecute doctors for abuse crimes. This exemplifies the systematic barriers to justice survivors across America routinely face, particularly survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by medical professionals.
Following the DA’s failure to prosecute Farley, Tom D’Amore helped pen a letter to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum calling on her to investigate the prolific sexual abuse alleged against Farley. Shortly after, he Oregon legislature passed Senate Bill 974, which closed many of the loopholes that protected medical providers who abuse their patients.
The new legislation has already proven effective — an Oregon Health & Science University Hospital physician assistant was recently indicted on sex abuse charges under the law.
D’Amore’s civil lawsuit against Farley remains ongoing, and may continue for years to come considering the number of claimants.
D’Amore Law Group, an Oregon-based personal injury law firm, was founded by Tom D’Amore, who is deeply committed to advocating for the rights of clients who have suffered severe injuries due to the negligence or intentional actions of individuals and corporations.
