Ex-inmate alleges sexual abuse by nurse at prison

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Portland says a former inmate at Oregon’s women’s prison alleges a nurse fondled her on two occasions in 2017.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the lawsuit alleges an abusive culture at the Coffee Creek Correctional Institution in Wilsonville and specifically names Tony Klein, a nurse who worked there for years before resigning last year.

Klein, reached by phone, said he was unaware of the lawsuit and didn’t respond after the newspaper sent him a copy.

The lawsuit alleges the Oregon Department of Corrections violated the federal law intended to protect inmates from rape and sexual assault and that the state failed to provide medical care and failed to supervise its employees.

The Department of Corrections this week declined to comment on the lawsuit, but spokeswoman Jennifer Black said the agency takes all allegations of sexual assault seriously.