New lawsuits reveal 18 additional men allege OYA doctor abused them

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Two more lawsuits were filed against the State of Oregon and Oregon Youth Authority on Wednesday as 18 more men allege they were abused by a former doctor while they were in custody at Maclaren Youth Facility.

The total number of alleged victims of Dr. Gary Edwards, aka “Dr. Cold Fingers” is now at 39. Attorneys say they expect more victims to come forward.

“Some of these victims were as young as 12 years old when they were abused by Dr. Edwards,” said attorney Paul Gaulm. “Many of them were abused as much as 10 times. And some were abused as much as 30 times.”

Edwards, who died in February, worked for OYA for nearly 40 years. He is accused of abusing boys between 2002 and 2016.

Gaulm Law Firm says they have filed four lawsuits on behalf of victims of Edwards, representing $200 million of liability for the State of Oregon.

After the initial lawsuits were filed, Gov. Kotek fired OYA Executive Director Joe O’Leary for failing to investigate thousands of abuse complaints.