A doctor cared for generations of families. Now dozens of women say he also abused them

Meena Duerson and Meridith Edwards, CNN

Editor’s note: This communicative contains disturbing descriptions of intersexual assault.

Wilsonville, Oregon (CNN) — The 3 women beryllium huddled together, hands and arms intertwined, heads connected each other’s shoulders. For excessively long, each felt utterly unsocial and it’s arsenic if their beingness closeness gives them a boost of strength.

Each tells CNN they were sexually abused by their family doctor. An investigation pursuing akin accounts by different women led to his aesculapian licence being revoked. Dozens of women person travel guardant saying they were molested, often repeatedly.

Unfathomably to nan survivors, a expansive assemblage said it was not fixed capable grounds to indict truthful location were nary criminal charges. Pleas to nan authorities lawyer wide to intervene person not led to caller charges.

But nan women person vowed to support fighting. “Seeing these women’s faces (of different survivors) and proceeding a small spot astir their stories, it’s much occurrence to support going,” says Katie Medley.

The family doctor

In nan Oregon organization wherever Nicole Snow grew up, Dr. David Farley was ever there. His location was astir nan area successful Wilsonville, a metropolis connected nan banks of nan Willamette River, astir a 30-minute thrust southbound of Portland. His kids went to her precocious school, he ran successful nan aforesaid societal circles arsenic her parents, and their families had moreover vacationed together. Every Sunday, she saw him astatine their Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints successful nan halfway of municipality wherever he was a long-standing and respected personnel of nan congregation.

“I retrieve very specifically arsenic a teenager, he would pursuit maine down astatine church, maine and different friends my age, and really pin america successful a area and massage our arms and shoulders and say, ‘Hey, you request to travel spot me,’” Snow says. “I would often effort to time off early conscionable to spell hide successful nan car.”

For years, Snow didn’t articulate nan worry she felt astir Farley, a Harvard-educated doctor. So, erstwhile she started experiencing tummy symptom astatine nan property of 15, it was only earthy for her mother to return her to his office.

Farley was a one-stop shop for generations of patients astatine nan West Linn Family Health Center successful nan neighboring community. He did wellness checks and sports physicals for nan children successful nan able suburbs, arsenic good arsenic prenatal attraction and delivering babies. His opinionated successful nan LDS Church attracted galore chap Mormons to his practice, but he was a fixture for nan wider organization too.

Snow, who is now 32, said, “From nan very first visit, he was capable to manipulate and spot my mom successful a circumstantial spot successful nan room wherever she had nary thought what he was doing pinch his hands.”

Over nan adjacent 3 years, during much than 40 visits, Snow says he subjected her to repeated intersexual abuse, utilizing scare strategies to behaviour what she describes arsenic uncomfortably agelong bosom exams and repeated penetrative pelvic and rectal exams. “He told maine and my mother that he had a young diligent dice of cervical cancer, and truthful he arsenic a expert wanted to cheque each his patients starting astatine a young property and frequently. That’s really he was capable to commencement abusing me.”

Snow says her upbringing successful nan LDS Church made her peculiarly susceptible to an older male, arsenic nan religion put men successful an unquestioned position of authority pinch grounds to delve profoundly into moreover nan astir individual aspects of one’s life. “At 1 constituent he asked my mom to time off nan room truthful he could inquire maine astir my intersexual history, and that was thing I was very acquainted with, going into nan room pinch a bishop alone, being asked intersexual purity questions,” Snow says.

In 2009, Snow turned 18 and went successful for her first assignment without her mother. Despite knowing she was not yet sexually active, Farley suggested a process to “make activity much pleasurable” — what she would later study was called a hymenectomy.

“He conscionable said he would want to ‘stretch maine out’ a small bit,” she says. When she declined, he tried to person her by listing nan names of her friends he’d performed nan process on. Then, he became aggressive. “It really made maine rather fearful,” she says.

When she yet agreed, he collapsed her hymen pinch his bare hands, washing nan humor disconnected successful nan descend while she laic “terrified” successful excruciating pain, she told CNN. Afterwards, it wounded to locomotion for days.

At nan time, she didn’t process these experiences arsenic abuse. “I had nary idea. I thought this was normal,” she says. She dropped retired of precocious schoolhouse complete wellness problems she attributes successful portion to nan maltreatment from Farley.

It wasn’t until years later, aft Snow moved distant and saw different OB-GYN, that everything clicked. “She said, ‘We’re going to do a pap smear and this should beryllium your first pap smear,’” Snow recalls. “When I replied, ‘Oh no, I’ve had complete 10, possibly adjacent to a dozen,’ nan look connected her look fto maine cognize that that wasn’t normal and shouldn’t person happened.”

When Snow told her family, they warned against going public. “They said it’s going to beryllium maine against nan community, because he is specified a salient member. They were tense for maine to travel guardant and do this conflict alone.”

CNN has reached retired many times to Farley, who has not responded to immoderate petition for comment. His lawyer declined to remark to CNN.

A abrupt retirement

Then, successful nan summertime of 2020, her relative called pinch news: Farley was retiring, and Snow was not alone. The Oregon Medical Board (OMB) had suspended his licence aft receiving reports astir his behaviour and were investigating.

“For truthful long, I felt for illustration I was being silenced aliases I was nan only one,” says Snow, who is now a stay-at-home mom of a preschooler successful Utah. But nan news of much victims gave her nary comfort. “The extent of misery I felt successful that moment, because I cognize really overmuch I’ve struggled from nan maltreatment … to deliberation of immoderate different small woman aliases female besides struggling and being abused astatine nan hands of him conscionable shattered my world.”

Snow’s relative connected her pinch Lisa Pratt and Katie Medley, moms who had met Farley done nan LDS Church and grown progressively uncomfortable pinch his behavior.

“He had a really bully expertise to make you consciousness for illustration you’re special, that typical curen that I now admit arsenic grooming,” Medley says. She moved to nan area successful 2016 and met Farley astatine religion erstwhile he was an master connected a women’s wellness panel. At first she could not get connected Farley’s diligent list, but erstwhile she met him again astatine nan religion he told her conscionable to telephone nan session and opportunity he had personally approved nan transfer. At nan clip she had 3 children and knew she wanted another.

In nan 4 years she was his patient, Medley says Farley conducted 11 penetrative exams, astir triple nan aesculapian guidelines astatine nan clip — pelvic exams were typically done annually, while pap smears were recommended each 3 years for women aged 21 to 65.

One nighttime successful 2019, she says, he called her astatine location to show her he’d recovered abnormal results successful 1 of her tests. Recounting nan aforesaid anecdote he’d told Snow, he told Medley he’d erstwhile mislaid a young diligent to cervical crab and needed to do different exam to support her safe.

“I’m successful tears and terrified; I’m frightened I’m going to dice of cancer,” she recalls.

Farley took advantage of her follow-up exam, she says, to maltreatment her. “He conscionable put his manus wrong maine … and I conscionable retrieve that he was moving his digit a batch and he conscionable said everything feels really good,” she says. “And past he took his manus retired and kept fondling my outer genitalia.”

After nan appointment, she sewage successful her car and cried. “I didn’t understand what was happening to me. He had sexually stimulated maine that full appointment, biologically,” she says. “I thought I must beryllium a psychopath; I must person a problem if my assemblage is responding to a aesculapian introspection that way. I’ve since learned that that happens to a batch of victims of abuse, and I deliberation it’s thing that keeps america quiet. It’s a powerfulness move because, who wants to opportunity that to someone? It’s nan astir embarrassing point I’ve ever said, ever.”

For nan adjacent 8 months, Medley said she tried to artifact retired nan memory. Then, Pratt — her neighbour and friend from religion — approached her. “She popped complete 1 day, and she said, benignant of retired of nan blue, ‘Hey, person you ever had a weird acquisition pinch Dr. Farley?’ Immediately, I knew.”

Pratt had been Farley’s diligent since 2015, erstwhile she moved to Wilsonville and was looking for a expert to negociate her pregnancy. He came highly recommended by a friend from church, and astatine first, his attack — for illustration giving her his individual compartment telephone number — made her consciousness special. “He’s treating maine for illustration family,” she remembers thinking. “I felt really awesome.”

But her visits grew progressively uncomfortable. When she brought her babe successful for a check-up, Farley put his caput connected her naked bosom while she nursed, ostensibly to cheque if her beverage had travel successful — an acquisition she’d ne'er had earlier pinch a expert pinch her older children. “Then he stuck his manus down my garment … and groped my breast,” she said. “I felt truthful caught disconnected guard, like, what is going connected here?”

In agency visits, she says he pressured her to person overly predominant pap smears, becoming angry erstwhile she declined — and recited nan aforesaid communicative astir having mislaid a young diligent to cervical cancer. He moreover erstwhile had her travel to his location for a gestation check-up, she says, wherever he conducted an highly achy process successful his bedroom.

As clip went on, she began to sound her concerns to friends — and was stunned to study they weren’t surprised. “They’re like, ‘Well you cognize he’s known for being a creep, right?’”

Weeks aft Pratt and Medley connected came nan news that Farley was retiring and nan authorities aesculapian committee had suspended his licence while they investigated reports that he had conducted medically unnecessary, unchaperoned and excessive pelvic and bosom exams and pap smears connected underage girls, arsenic good arsenic soliciting parents for support to photograph nan breasts and outer genitalia of teenagers nether nan property of 18.

At nan time, Farley told nan OMB he had asked parents to fto him photograph their children’s teen bodies for an acquisition pamphlet he hoped to put together connected puberty, and said he only learned later that utilizing his telephone to return pictures “was a large no-no.”

Having shared their experiences pinch each other, Pratt, Snow and Medley past reached retired to stock pinch nan OMB too. Pratt remembers interrogator Jason Carruth listening to her, and past saying, “I don’t cognize if this makes you consciousness amended aliases not, but you are not alone.”

In September 2020, nan OMB recovered that Farley had exhibited “unprofessional aliases dishonorable conduct” pinch aggregate patients, including intersexual misconduct and negligence, “ordered aliases administered unnecessary, outmoded tests contrary to acceptable aesculapian standards which whitethorn person caused imaginable harm” and “breached nan modular of care” pinch procedures “not medically indicated, nor supported by existent aesculapian science.” In taking photographs of underage patients, it recovered his “conduct was contrary to good recognized ethical standards.”

His licence was revoked.

Criminal considerations

The 3 young mothers felt they had yet had personification perceive to them. Carruth, nan aesculapian committee investigator, flagged nan allegations to nan West Linn Police Department, and encouraged patients for illustration Medley, Pratt and Snow to interaction Det. Tony Christensen. If location was to beryllium immoderate criminal action against Farley, this would beryllium nan way.

“We walked into that constabulary section successful September emotion truthful brave,” Pratt says, but that emotion of powerfulness soon evaporated.

Pratt talks of a “traumatizing” and “demoralizing” experience, and nan women opportunity Christensen was unprepared and sick equipped and near them questioning themselves.

“Tony Christensen treated america for illustration a nuisance, for illustration we were annoying,” Snow says. “He conscionable consecutive up said, ‘It’s going to beryllium really difficult to prosecute a doctor.’”

Their acquisition was echoed by different patients of Farley’s who revenge constabulary reports arsenic nan investigation continued. A mother, who said to CNN connected information of anonymity, said Christensen was dismissive erstwhile she went to study that Farley had many times groped her daughter’s bosom while taking her bosom complaint successful 2017. “I retrieve nan detective saying, ‘Well this doesn’t hap for illustration it happens connected TV,’” she says. “Very condescending, for illustration you each don’t cognize really this works.” The female had complained to Farley’s agency aft that 2017 exam.

Christensen has since retired and could not beryllium reached for comment. The existent constabulary main did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.

As nan lawsuit grew successful scope, Clackamas County District Attorney John Wentworth’s agency sewage involved, conducting interviews pinch patients, witnesses and experts. But again, women for illustration Medley, Snow and Pratt picture emotion belittled aliases dismissed.

After sharing her communicative pinch Deputy District Attorney Sarah Dumont, Snow says, “She said, ‘Well you were only abused conscionable astir 10 times, right?’ I retrieve crying, saying backmost to her, is 10 times not enough?”

Wentworth denies this happened, telling CNN, “This remark was ne'er made.”

In 2022, nan DA’s agency did bring nan lawsuit earlier a expansive jury, but immoderate patients now opportunity Wentworth and Dumont fumbled nan case, only allowing grounds from a mini fraction of patients who had revenge constabulary reports. Some were told their cases were excessively old, and extracurricular nan statute of limitations.

“When I had my move to spell in, I conscionable knew this is not a group of group that is trying to put this man away,” Medley says, describing Dumont’s questioning. “It felt for illustration she was defending Farley. She was interrupting me, undercutting my statements, diminishing it.”

The expansive assemblage yet issued a “not existent bill” — meaning they decided they did not person capable grounds for a criminal indictment.

“It almost was like, retired of body, for illustration it conscionable could not beryllium existent that they would opportunity no,” Medley recalls.

The mother who said her girl was groped said her kid testified to nan expansive jury, and recovered their determination painful. “She felt like, you did nan activity to clasp him accountable and you conscionable extremity up pinch much trauma, because nobody’s doing thing … Sometimes you wonder, is that worthy it?”

Snow, Medley and Pratt each said they were being supported by their husbands and were sharing pinch their children why it was important to support fighting.

Pratt and Medley said retired astir what they called a “botched” investigation astatine a metropolis assembly gathering and joined an unfastened missive to Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum successful September 2022, signed by 71 of Farley’s erstwhile patients, slamming nan DA’s agency and begging Rosenblum to measurement in. She has not, but her agency told CNN their criminal justness section continues to reappraisal nan situation.

From Oregon to Idaho past Utah

With nary license, Farley could not believe medicine successful Oregon and moved to Idaho successful 2020, wherever he was concisely capable to unafraid a occupation arsenic a teacher’s adjutant successful a nationalist school. Local authorities were notified of nan West Linn investigation, and nan schoolhouse terminated his employment aft 1 time successful nan classroom, citing “incorrect exertion information.”

By 2022, Farley had relocated to nan mini municipality of Nephi, Utah, wherever Glade Nielson, a longtime friend from their days together arsenic missionaries successful Japan, served arsenic mayor. Nielson confirmed to CNN that Farley is still a personnel of their section religion and is successful attendance each week.

The news that Farley is erstwhile again progressive successful a religion organization is unsettling to nan women who opportunity he utilized that mounting to prey connected them. When they first came guardant pinch their stories, Pratt, Medley and Snow besides contacted their religion leadership, looking for nan institution to clasp him accountable successful nan measurement that members of different patriarchal organizations for illustration nan Catholic Church and Boy Scouts person demanded accountability from their ain institutions pursuing maltreatment scandals.

“I was hoping that they would excommunicate him, region him from this organization that he loves and that he thrives connected and that he abuses,” Snow said.

“I had a fewer meetings of trying to person him to return this action,” Medley says of their section religion leader, aliases liking president. “Ultimately he said, this has gone up arsenic precocious arsenic it tin spell pinch activity successful nan religion … they’ve decided not to do thing until aft nan civilian suit is done.”

A spokesperson for nan LDS Church said a general reappraisal will travel nan extremity of litigation but noted it “has placed important restrictions that limit David Farley’s information successful Church services and activities, including being coming connected Church property.”

The religion besides provided impervious of a 2022 missive delivered to Farley’s home, notifying him he was permanently banned from his erstwhile hometown religion successful Oregon and further prohibited from attending meetings aliases entering religion spot astatine immoderate different location — isolated from successful nan municipality wherever he presently lives. There, he is “allowed to be Sunday services erstwhile accompanied by his spouse.”

Snow doubts nan actions of nan church. “They don’t want to travel retired and opportunity that they person a predator successful their mix,” she says, “that they’ve believed a predator and put them up connected a pedestal aliases fixed them a calling.” She, for illustration Medley and Pratt, has near nan church.

Times of reckoning

Back successful West Linn, nan metropolis engaged an independent master to analyse nan constabulary investigation. She recovered lawsuit files had been lost, location was imaginable neglect of duty, and that Christensen was “uninformed” and “did not person nan training” to behaviour nan interviews successful a intersexual battle and maltreatment investigation. The study noted he was “more knowledgeable and organized successful later interviews” and concluded his interviewing style was master contempt not being “trauma-informed.”

In March, Wentworth fired backmost astatine criticisms of his agency successful an op-ed for West Linn’s section newspaper, vigorously defending his handling of nan lawsuit — noting that “all known patients pinch a colorable declare of maltreatment testified earlier nan expansive jury.”

In an email to CNN, he blamed “a litany of issues extracurricular our control” for their inability to person nan expansive assemblage and defended his 30-year way grounds of advocating for crime victims arsenic a prosecutor.

“The conception that I would not indict a expert who had sexually abused patients for years because I don’t ‘want’ to is absurd,” he wrote. “Dr. Farley’s behaviour was unprofessional, and deserved punishment by nan Oregon Medical Board. But, proving that his behaviour was criminal is different matter requiring a overmuch higher load of proof.”

For nan women who want Farley disconnected nan streets, it’s not enough.

After watching a documentary astir nan gymnasts abused by then-team expert Larry Nassar, Medley, Pratt and Snow launched a civilian suit against Farley. “Their acquisition made maine consciousness for illustration if I had backing, I could conflict this, we could conflict it,” says Snow. They are now represented by Manly, Stewart and Finaldi, nan rule patient who won settlements for nan survivors successful nan Nassar case, arsenic good arsenic nan D’Amore Law Group.

“This is simply a crime of violence,” says lawyer Tom D’Amore. “It causes imperishable psychological harm. They’re not going to hide what happened to them.”

In tribunal papers, Farley declined to respond to nan allegations, citing his Fifth Amendment correct against self-incrimination.

If she saw him today, Medley said she would person a elemental connection for Farley: “You messed pinch nan incorrect people.”

And, for illustration Snow and Pratt, she now knows she is not alone.

Their suit has been amended aggregate times to adhd women, girls, men and boys who opportunity they excessively were abused by Farley. The number of plaintiffs now stands astatine 128.

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