Civil rights suit filed in child sex abuse case

By Terry Murry on Friday, March 10th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – A lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court in Pendleton against the Umatilla Police Department, the city of Umatilla, and specific members of the department. The suit filed by “Jane Doe” alleges that the department failed to take repeated reports of a 13-year-old girl being groomed and molested by a man from Florida seriously.

Once the family of the girl contacted the FBI, Michael Lyon was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to 25 years in prison. The suit filed Wednesday in Portland alleges that if UPD had investigated promptly further criminal acts by Lyon could have been prevented. The plaintiff is now 18 years old.

There has been no official comment from the city or the police department regarding the court action. The suit asks for $100,000 in damages for psychiatric care, $2.5 million in damages due to emotional distress, and punitive damages of $23.5 million.

Judge Andrew Hallman is the magistrate of record in the case. The attorneys for the plaintiff are from Scannell Law of Tigard and Patrick Gregg of Pendleton is also representing the plaintiff.

This is a breaking news story. We will be studying court documents and will update with more information when possible. Note: this story has been corrected regarding the attorneys for the plaintiff. The defense attorney has not yet been announced. We apologize for the error.

(Photo of the John F. Kilkenney Post Office and Courthouse in Pendleton.