When the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) fails to protect children from abuse, the consequences can be devastating. And yet, instead of taking accountability, the State of Oregon has too often turned its power and resources against the very families it failed to protect.
In one recent case reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive, a 15-year-old girl sued DHS for ignoring multiple warnings that she was being sexually abused. A Multnomah County jury agreed that DHS was negligent and awarded the teen $1.3 million. But in a shocking move, Oregon’s Department of Justice—defending DHS—filed a lawsuit against the girl’s own mother, claiming she was negligent for not detecting the abuse sooner. The mother had never been accused of a crime and had immediately protected her daughter once she learned of the abuse. A jury ultimately cleared her of wrongdoing.
This practice of “third-party complaints” against parents—many of whom are non-offending and already traumatized—has reportedly occurred in at least ten DHS negligence cases over the last decade. Attorneys who represent survivors describe it as a strategy to deflect blame and intimidate families into dropping valid claims. While Oregon’s new Attorney General, Dan Rayfield, has said he is ending this practice, the harm to many families has already been done.
As an attorney who represents children abused due to DHS negligence, I’ve seen firsthand how these failures destroy lives. DHS is legally obligated to protect vulnerable children, not to retraumatize families by shifting blame or prolonging litigation. Survivors and their parents need support, compassion, and justice—not more legal warfare from the very agency that failed them.
Civil lawsuits remain one of the few tools families have to seek accountability and change. These cases not only provide compensation for victims; more importantly, they expose systemic breakdowns in Oregon’s child welfare system and force systemic reforms that can prevent future tragedies.
If your child was harmed after DHS ignored warning signs or failed to act, you may have legal rights under Oregon law. Ross Law routinely represents children and families in negligence and abuse cases against the State of Oregon and DHS.
Holding DHS accountable helps ensure no other child suffers in silence.
Jeremiah Ross, Attorney at Law
Ross Law LLC – Portland, Oregon
Representing children and families throughout Oregon in claims against the Oregon Department of Human Services and other state agencies.
📞 503.224.1658 | 🌐rosslawpdx.com