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OREGON CITY, Or. -- Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth has formally requested the Oregon Department of Justice continue the investigation and prosecution related to a former West Linn doctor accused of sexual abuse.
Wentworth issued a letter Wednesday to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum regarding David Farley, who is under investigation for sexually abusing dozens of former patients under the guise of medical care.
“… (T)he allegations brought forth by these patients are deeply troubling and warrant a second review I believe a comprehensive review by your office, coupled with the trust you have developed with the plaintiffs’ attorneys and their clients, may provide the opportunity needed to move forward,” Wentworth wrote in his request to Rosenblum.
A Clackamas County grand jury in 2022 ultimately issued a “not true” bill against Farley, meaning there was not enough evidence for an indictment. At the time, Oregon law made it extremely difficult to prosecute doctors. In 2023, Wentworth spearheaded Senate Bill 974 in the Oregon Legislature to address this gap in Oregon’s sex abuse law. The bill passed unanimously and will now allow for the prosecution of sexual abusers who use the guise of medical diagnosis or treatment to victimize patients and escape criminal responsibility. To date, the new law has been used in at least two criminal prosecutions in Oregon.