Oregon and the Oregon Youth Authority have settled claims brought by 11 men who say they were sexually abused as boys by Dr. Edward G. Edwards, a pediatrician who worked at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility for about 40 years. The settlement was reached before a civil trial scheduled for Nov. 2; the terms have not been disclosed. The men’s attorneys said records and testimony gathered before trial showed that agency officials received repeated complaints about Edwards from youth and staff beginning in the 1990s, but often handled them internally rather than alerting law enforcement or child-protection authorities. Court filings describe at least 16 written reports between the 1990s and 2017 alleging that Edwards touched boys’ genitals or anuses without gloves and without a medical need. Edwards, who died in February 2025 at age 87, began working at MacLaren around 1977 and served as the facility’s primary doctor, including conducting medical intake exams. The allegations were that he used exams to touch boys inappropriately. In a 2009 meeting, he acknowledged to agency leaders that he had been touching boys’ genitals without gloves for more than 30 years, according to court records. A psychologist who treated youth at MacLaren also said in a sworn declaration that Edwards described performing ungloved digital anal exams to assess a boy’s prostate. Records cited by the plaintiffs’ lawyers trace complaints across multiple years. In 2001, two boys submitted written complaints that Edwards touched them without gloves during exams and threatened one with solitary confinement, according to an incident report prepared by Oregon Youth Authority employee Joni Zimmerman. Zimmerman testified that a superintendent told her the agency preferred to handle the matter internally; she did not complete the report, and the agency could find no record of action taken in response. That year, three MacLaren employees also complained to the Oregon Medical Board about Edwards’ alleged failure to use gloves and other concerns about care. One nurse said the board’s inquiry was limited and that nothing changed. In 2005, reports about possible abuse reached state child-protection authorities and Marion County, prompting an Oregon State Police investigation. Edwards was not placed on leave during that inquiry, and the agency did not conduct a follow-up administrative investigation after police declined to pursue charges, according to court filings. After another youth reported an ungloved genital exam in 2007, state police investigated again. Edwards was placed on paid leave, but police concluded there was not enough evidence for prosecution. The agency then classified the allegations as unsubstantiated, the plaintiffs’ attorneys said, without completing an internal investigation required by its policy. A former professional-standards investigator testified that a “code of silence” existed at the agency during his tenure. The plaintiffs’ attorneys, Peter B. Janci and Paul C. Galm, wrote that agency leaders knew about earlier reports before the men who sued were abused and failed to address a danger to youth. The state argued in court that some claims were filed after the applicable deadline and that some named officials had not directly supervised Edwards. Oregon Youth Authority spokesperson Marja Martinez said the agency could not comment on the settlement or litigation. She said it has strengthened safety and accountability measures, including mandatory active-bystander training, efforts to reduce the Professional Standards Office’s case backlog and monthly reporting of youth-safety measures to executives. “There is no place for abuse or mistreatment of any kind within our facilities,” Martinez said. More than 60 other former MacLaren residents are pursuing claims in six separate federal lawsuits, according to court records.