Suits over sex abuse by officers are settled

PORTLAND – The city of Eugene has settled six lawsuits against two police officers, ending litigation that has cost the city nearly $5 million.

Former police officers Roger Magana and Juan Lara are accused of using their position to sexually assault numerous women. The men were indicted and fired in 2003.

Magana is serving a 94-year prison sentence for raping, sexually abusing or harassing 13 women during his eight years on the force. Lara was convicted of using his position to coerce women into having sex while he was on duty. He got out of prison on an early release program and remains on parole and under supervision.

The city had already settled 14 lawsuits related to the police officers. Tuesday’s settlements for a total of $1.5 million raise the city’s payments to victims to $3.7 million, and it has more than $1 million in legal fees. Eugene has budgeted for the costs for a number of years, and officials say the city will be able to make the payments.

“With these settlements now behind us, we look ahead to the future and redoubling our efforts to ensure that this history is not repeated,” City Manager Dennis Taylor said in a memo Tuesday.

The scandal led to major changes in the police department, numerous reviews and an election proposal for citizen oversight of complaints against officers. Reports found that the acts against the women were not detected because the former officers methodically chose victims who were less likely to report the crimes and because the department monitoring failed.

“The criminal actions of Magana and Lara have defined a traumatic and regrettable chapter in the City’s life – for all concerned,” Taylor said.

The city said now that the cases are concluded, all the reports and related materials will be made public.