State to pay $300,000 to settle lawsuit alleging sexual abuse by foster parent
The state has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by the guardians of two girls who said a foster parent sexually abused the children.
The abuse occurred between January 2012 and April 2014 while the children were in the care of James Mobley in Medford, according to the suit. It occurred on his living room sofa, where the girls were ordered to sleep, the suit said.
The suit also alleged that Mobley used corporal punishment -- withholding food, forcing the children to bathe together and in his presence and berating them with profane language – to instill fear of reprisal if they reported the abuse.
Thomas Peterson, the attorney for the guardians, developed evidence that Mobley faced a similar complaint when he lived in California before moving to Oregon.
Read more: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2017/04/post_265.html