The $9 million complaint, filed Tuesday in Multnomah County Circuit Court, accuses Oregon and former Oregon Department of Human Services Director Fariborz Pakseresht of negligence. It also names the employee accused of the abuse and seeks damages related to sexual battery and harm to a vulnerable person.

The woman, identified in court filings as D.B., was at the state’s Stabilization and Crisis Unit, a locked facility. The lawsuit says the unit’s rules required at least two staff members to supervise her at all times, including at least one woman. Instead, the complaint alleges, the male employee was sometimes alone with her overnight.

The employee, described in the filing as a direct support crisis specialist, allegedly groomed D.B. by kissing and groping her before sexually abusing her at least three times in late 2024. In one alleged incident, he sent another staff member away, entered D.B.’s room, blocked the door and turned up the television, according to the complaint.

D.B. disclosed the abuse in December 2024 and went to a hospital for an examination, the lawsuit says. Male DNA collected during the exam matched the employee’s profile after police obtained a warrant for his DNA, according to the filing.

Oregon State Police are investigating. Capt. Chris Zohner said the agency sent an initial report to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office, while the investigation continues. No criminal charges had been filed as of Tuesday. The employee was fired by the state, according to D.B.’s attorney, Peter Janci. The allegations have not been tested in a criminal trial.

The Department of Human Services declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. The complaint alleges that broader problems within the department, including chronic understaffing and excessive overtime, contributed to the failures. Pakseresht led the department from 2017 until October 2025 and is now interim head of the Oregon Health Authority.

The lawsuit comes as Oregon works to overhaul its stabilization and crisis units. A 2025 state law directed the department to develop a plan to improve crisis care and keep community-based units in compliance with federal requirements. Workers had previously raised concerns about understaffing, injuries and burnout tied to mandatory overtime.

D.B. is now living with family members in Oregon, Janci said. He said her family trusted the state to care for her and that the state failed to honor that responsibility.