Springdale Job Corps sued for $7.5 million after security guard rapes student, 20
Aimee Green | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on September 05, 2014 at 7:00 AM, updated September 05, 2014 at 9:47 AM
A 20-year-old woman who was raped by a security guard while she was passed out drunk at her school, Springdale Job Corps in Troutdale, filed a $7.5 million lawsuit this week.
According to the suit and court papers filed in the criminal case against former security guard Gerard Matthew Rudich, the woman had attended an off-campus party on Oct. 27, 2012, when she became so intoxicated that she vomited. She phoned Rudich to give her and some other students a ride back to the 52-acre campus, 31224 E. Historic Columbia River Highway.
Rudich, who had given rides to students in a school van before, retrieved the students and sent all but the woman back to their dorm rooms, the suit says. He asked the woman to blow into a breathalyzer, which at 2:15 a.m. recorded her blood alcohol content at .17 percent.
The woman repeatedly lost and regained consciousness — awakening at one point to find Rudich raping her in the security building, the suit claims.
Rudich, 57, pleaded guilty in Multnomah County Circuit Court to first-degree rape and was sentenced last month to more than eight years in prison.
The lawsuit seeks damages from both Rudich and the operators of the school, including Chugach World Services Inc. and Management & Training Corp.
A Chugach spokesperson released this statement: “The health and safety of our people, including the students at Springdale Job Corps Center, is our highest priority. Because the situation involves litigation, I cannot discuss the matter in any further detail.”
The school’s website describes it as a “no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor” for students ages 16 to 24.
The suit faults Job Corps for allegedly hiring Rudich without certification as a security guard from the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training. The suit states DPSST might not have certified Rudich because of his criminal history, which included prostitution in 1992 and fraudulent use of a credit card in 1982.
Rudich, a Southeast Portland resident, had been married for more than 35 years at the time of his arrest. He has at least two adult children and is a military veteran who was honorably discharged.
The lawsuit was filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court by Portland attorney Jeremiah Ross.
— Aimee Green
If you were the victim of a sexual assault it is important to know your rights and remedies. Please call Portland, Oregon Attorney Jeremiah Ross at 503.224.1658 to discuss your options. A crime victim should never feel alone, and you deserve answers.