A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in U.S. District Court in Portland accuses former Multnomah County deputy Edwin Diaz of raping a woman while she was detained at the county jail, then punishing her when she tried to report it. The suit alleges the woman was assaulted in custody, left with physical injuries, and later hit with confinement and loss of trustee pay after she spoke up. A settlement conference in the case is set for April 1, 2026, according to the court filing.
Allegations in the complaint
The complaint, brought under a federal civil-rights statute, paints a picture of grooming and escalating abuse. It says Diaz targeted the woman while she was struggling with mental illness, granted her special trustee privileges, and slid romantic letters under her cell door before things turned physical in March and April 2024. According to the filing, when she resisted a kiss, Diaz entered her cell, slammed her head against a wall, and forcibly raped her. Those specific allegations appear in court records reviewed by KATU.
Arrest and charges
More than a year after the alleged assaults, Multnomah County detectives took their findings to a grand jury in June 2025, which returned an indictment against Diaz. He was arrested and booked later that month on a slate of felony counts. The sheriff’s office lists three counts of sexual abuse, multiple counts of custodial sexual misconduct, and 17 counts of official misconduct among the charges. In a public statement, Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell said, “Any abuse of power by those in positions of authority…is a violation of public trust,” according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
Earlier reports and context
By early 2025, advocacy and media reports had already flagged Diaz as a problem inside the jail. Other women had accused him of inappropriate conduct, and at least one woman in custody described getting letters and special favors before the criminal case moved forward. Coverage outlining those accounts, along with public reaction as the allegations surfaced, has appeared in outlets that closely track jail conditions nationwide. Those background details are described by Solitary Watch.
What the suit says about retaliation
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court by attorneys Caitlin Mitchell and Kevin Yolken and seeking a jury trial, claims the alleged assault was followed by a clampdown instead of protection. According to the complaint, the woman was locked in a cell and denied pay for her trustee work after she tried to report what happened. The suit also says medical staff failed to properly treat her bruising after Diaz allegedly told them she had a “fit,” and it alleges a sergeant brushed off her report. Those assertions, along with the court’s scheduling details, are laid out in the filing and reported by KATU.
Investigation timeline and next steps
The sheriff’s office says the investigation kicked off after detectives received an anonymous note in October 2024. To avoid conflicts of interest, Portland Police detectives were asked to lead parts of the probe. According to MCSO, investigators drew on jail video and witness statements to back up accounts before taking the case to the grand jury, and the criminal case against Diaz is still pending. The office has urged anyone with additional information to contact investigators, per the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office.
Why it matters
The case ties together serious civil-rights claims about what happens inside Multnomah County’s jail with an active criminal prosecution of a former deputy. That combination could have major implications for county liability and future jail policies. How the calendar shakes out, starting with the April 1 settlement conference, will determine whether the lawsuit and the criminal case head toward full-blown trials or get resolved behind closed doors.
