Dr. Edward Gary Edwards Sex Abuse Lawsuit
More than 20 men have filed lawsuits accusing Dr. Edward Gary Edwards, the former chief medical officer at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Oregon, of widespread sexual abuse.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
The Oregon Youth Authority, which operates MacLaren, has been named as a defendant in the suits, with survivors alleging the top officials knew about the abuse and allowed it to continue. One lawsuit, filed in March by 10 former MacLaren detainees, requests more than $50 million in damages.
The lawsuits against Edwards and the Oregon Youth Authority are far from the first allegations to surface involving juvenile detention center sexual abuse across the country. Meanwhile, more and more states have adopted extended statutes of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits in recent years, and victims of abuse that occurred years or even decades ago are finally coming forward.
If you or a loved one faced abuse at MacLaren by Dr. Edward Gary Edwards or other staff, you have legal rights and options—and we’re here to help you understand them.
Who Is Dr. Edward Gary Edwards?
Dr. Edward Gary Edwards started his career at the Oregon Youth Authority in 1977 and worked for the agency for more than four decades. He later became the chief medical officer at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. Edwards died in February 2025, less than a month before the first lawsuit accusing him of abuse was filed. Staff and detainees allegedly nicknamed Edwards “Dr. Cold Fingers” during his time at MacLaren, referencing his habitual molestation of juveniles without gloves.
As the Oregon Youth Authority’s largest facility, MacLaren can hold up to 271 youth in intake, parole violation, general population, and specialized programming units. The Youth Authority oversees and operates five youth correctional facilities and four transitional facilities where children convicted of serious crimes serve sentences. Children as young as 12 years old can be incarcerated in Oregon and held until age 24, when some are transferred to state prisons.
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Sexual Assault Allegations Against Dr. Edward Gary Edwards
Recent abuse allegations against Dr. Edward Gary Edwards involve incidents that occurred between 2000 and 2008 with patients who were 12 to 16 years old. According to the lawsuits, juveniles would see the doctor for a medical appointment, only to be sexually abused. While only 20 victims have come forward in lawsuits so far, attorneys believe Edwards had access to more than 10,000 children during his tenure at MacLaren, and there are likely many more victims.
In legal documents, survivors assert that they were given narcotics and other drugs, groped, touched, and sexually assaulted on multiple occasions by Edwards. The victims also explain that they reported the abuse to guards, staff, and nurses, but were ignored. In the most severe cases, other MacLaren staff weaponized Edwards’ abuse, threatening misbehaving juveniles with visits to “Dr. Cold Fingers.”
Other Legal Proceedings Involving MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility
Though the recent lawsuits filed against the Oregon Youth Authority focus on alleged abuse by Dr. Edward Gary Edwards, other staff members at the Youth Authority have also faced accusations. Emily Echtenkamp, a former mental health and drug treatment counselor at MacLaren, was convicted in March 2025 of sexually abusing a teenager she was supposed to help.
Because Edwards is deceased, he will not face criminal charges or civil lawsuits for the alleged abuse he perpetrated. However, survivors can still hold the Oregon Youth Authority legally liable for allowing the abuse to occur.
Hospital’s Response and Institutional Accountability
The MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility was designed to be a safe place for troubled youth to heal and grow. Instead, it became rife with abuse and neglect. Abuse allegations involving several staff members at the facility, including Edwards, date back to at least 1998. Despite red flags and direct reports of abuse, the state failed to intervene, instead opting to systematically cover up or ignore the clear problems at MacLaren.
Under state law, the Oregon Youth Authority is required to ensure the welfare of incarcerated youth, but recent lawsuits allege that the Authority fostered a culture of silence regarding sexual abuse. The former director of the Youth Authority, Joe O’Leary, was fired by the Governor in March 2025 due to a backlog of uninvestigated abuse reports. Additionally, victims say the Youth Authority failed to properly train staff and implement policies to prevent abuse.
Legal Rights for Survivors: Filing a Civil Claim
Victims of abuse at juvenile detention centers have the right to file a civil lawsuit to hold the perpetrators and facilities that enabled the abuse accountable. The law gives victims of abuse in state-run facilities like MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility the right to sue not only the facility, but the government organization that runs it—the Oregon Youth Authority.
A civil lawsuit allows you to seek monetary compensation for the harm you experienced. It can also help create a public record of the abuse, offering other impacted individuals the knowledge that they are not alone and encouraging them to come forward.
However, there are time limits for filing civil lawsuits for sexual abuse. In Oregon, survivors of childhood sexual abuse have until the later of their 40th birthday or within five years of discovering the harm caused by the abuse to file a lawsuit. If you were over the age of 18 at the time of a sexual assault, you have five years to file a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator and two years to file negligence suits against the institutions involved. However, there are exceptions. Thus, even if the abuse you endured occurred years or even decades ago, you may still have the ability to file a civil lawsuit to seek monetary compensation for the harm you experienced.
In the wake of other states updating their child sexual abuse statutes of limitations in recent years, the Oregon legislature is contemplating House Bill 3582 as of June 2025, which would eliminate time limits for sexual abuse survivors to take legal action. Passing this bill would be a key step for Oregon to safeguard the rights of abuse survivors and hold perpetrators and institutions accountable.
How Helping Survivors Can Help
At Helping Survivors, we’re on a mission to help heal, educate, and empower people who have been impacted by sexual assault and abuse. We do this by informing survivors of their reporting rights and options, providing resources and educational content, and making legal introductions to partner law firms.
These law firms can file civil lawsuits against the individuals, institutions, and organizations that enabled the abuse you endured to compensate you for your suffering. Every law firm we work with provides a free consultation and takes these cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning there are no upfront costs to pursuing a lawsuit. The law firm only gets paid if it recovers compensation for you.
Reach Out to Helping Survivors Today
If you’re wondering whether it’s too late to take action, Helping Survivors is here to help. Our resources are free, confidential, and designed to empower you wherever you are in your journey, whether you choose to take legal action or not.
If you or a loved one survived institutional abuse at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility by Dr. Edward Gary Edwards, you don’t have to navigate this alone. We can connect you with an experienced sexual abuse law firm to pursue your case. Contact Helping Survivors today for a free, confidential consultation with no obligations.
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