Lawsuit: Protecting People with Disabilities from Abuse and Retaliation in Prison
J.B., a young adult in custody at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility was sexually assaulted regularly for more than two months by Correctional Officer Levi Gray and continues to live at CCCF with serious and persistent psychiatric disabilities. With a horrid history of physical and sexual abuse dating back to childhood, she suffers from extreme Post-traumatic stress disorder as a result.
While there is a criminal case against Officer Gray and he has been dismissed from the Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC), this lawsuit alleges the prison used cruel and unusual punishment, failed to provide medical care, and continues to hold J.B. in a dangerous setting—all in violation of the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, the prison continues to violate the 1st Amendment by retaliating against J.B., abusing a grievance process, and refusing necessary medical care and counseling.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys' fees, and an injunction that requires ODOC to place J.B. in an appropriate setting where treatment and therapy can be provided. Co-counsel in this case is Lynn Walsh, a noted expert in the rights of those incarcerated in Oregon’s prison system.
Case Documents
J.B. v. Gray et al., No. 3:2023cv01962
March 11, 2026: Opinion and Order on Plaintiffs’ Motion for Sanctions
December 27, 2023: Complaint
Press Releases
Background
A Gender Informed Practices Assessment commissioned by lawmakers in 2022 found sexual assault is a prison-wide problem at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility.
While aware of the problems, ODOC has yet to fix them. The Department’s own 2022 Annual PREA Report notes CCCF had among the highest number of substantiated and unsubstantiated PREA reports for sexual abuse and harassment, as well as the most ongoing investigations. Some facilities are larger, yet CCCF still had the highest volume of lawsuits and individuals involved.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics:
One in 5 people in U.S. state and federal prisons have a serious mental illness.
Nearly 2 in 5 people incarcerated have at least one disability.
Women are more than twice as likely than men to be sexually assaulted in prison, per the National Library of Medicine.
In 2015, President Barack Obama forcefully spoke out against rape in prison, “We should not be tolerating rape in prison.… These things are unacceptable.”
Media Coverage
“What happened to me at Coffee Creek was no accident. It was intentional and plotted. Not only did the prison allow the abuse by Gray, but when I talked to the Oregon State Police, they tried to muffle me and scare me into being quiet by retaliating against me. By destroying that video, the state made their position crystal clear: they will protect their own at any cost including doing whatever it takes to silence one 19-year-old girl.
I have no doubt that, if it wasn’t for my lawyers and me being outspoken with what happened to me as it was happening, they would have killed me to keep me silent. But they failed to silence me. I’m still here, and I’m telling my story because no woman locked in that place should have to go through the fear, abuse, retaliation, and know that there is no help for them behind those gates.
Regardless of a person’s mistakes they are still human even though the other side would like us to believe we are less than human. To any person going through what I went through in there, to anyone feeling like giving up because of the way they are treating you, just keep your head up and wipe your tears. If you hold on long enough, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It might be dim for a while, but it’s there.”
