West Linn doctor’s sexual abuse trial canceled as last defendant settles

The last remaining defendant in the multimillion-dollar lawsuit concerning allegations of sexual abuse by former West Linn doctor David Farley has settled.

Courtney Thom, an attorney for dozens of patients who alleged abuse by Farley, announced the settlement in court Monday morning, just as attorneys were preparing to select jurors for the trial.

The settlements mean the multi-month civil trial will not go forward.

Though three of the lawsuit’s defendants — Farley, the West Linn Family Health Center and Legacy Meridian Park Hospital — recently settled the claims against them, Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center apparently held out to reach a settlement at the last minute before trial.

In court on Monday, the attorney for Providence, Jennifer Oetter, said she was aware of the terms of settlement for one of the case’s other defendants and had “agreed in principle” to similar terms.

Tom D’Amore, another attorney for the plaintiffs, said they were struggling to secure payment from one of the parties who previously settled, but did not disclose which.

Thom told OPB that the settlement amounts cannot be disclosed at this time.

“After five years, 174 courageous survivors have secured a global settlement against West Linn Family Health Center, David Farley, Legacy Meridian Park Hospital, and Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center,” Thom wrote in a statement to OPB Monday. “This settlement holds these institutions accountable for devastating failures that allowed David Farley’s sexual abuse to continue for decades and delivers long-awaited justice and closure to our clients in their civil fight.”

Farley opened the West Linn Family Health Center more than three decades ago. He was also allowed to practice obstetrics and gynecology at the Providence hospital in Oregon City and Legacy hospital in Tualatin.

The doctor retired in 2020 as the Oregon Medical Board investigated claims he committed sexual misconduct and photographed nude children. He surrendered his medical license later that year.

Farley still faces 16 criminal charges related to the alleged abuse. He has pleaded not guilty. Thom said the patient’s fight for justice continues with the criminal case.

“Full justice will be achieved when this predator cannot lay another hand on a child,” the attorney wrote.

The suit against him and the medical institutions he worked at was initially filed in October 2020 by four of his former patients. Over the years, it grew to include allegations from at least 170 other women and girls.

Thom also mentioned the broader impact of the case against Farley.

“Our clients’ unbreakable resolve has sparked real change across Oregon: a statewide chaperone policy for sensitive exams, extended statutes of limitations, the permanent closure of West Linn Family Health Center, and stronger accountability from agencies that failed to protect them. These 174 voices turned silence into accountability and rewrote rules to prevent future harm. That is courage in its purest form. That is bravery that will echo for generations.”

The West Linn Family Health Center informed its patients in December of its plans to permanently close in March.

This is a developing story and will be updated.