Volunteer Beat at Oregon Women’s Shelter Seeks $675K

November 23, 2015

A volunteer seeks $675,000 in a lawsuit against the Gospel Rescue Mission of Grants Pass, Ore. alleging it failed to protect her from an enraged man whose wife and daughter were at a women’s shelter.

The lawsuit and a police report from the 2013 incident say Toni Sue Burrows was pepper sprayed and beaten by Matt Cortez. A grand jury indicted Cortez on assault and other charges, and a warrant is out for his arrest.

The lawsuit filed this week in Grants Pass says the mission lacked adequate security and ignored Burrows’ request to establish a locking-of-doors procedure. It also contends a man should have been the one to tell Cortez he couldn’t enter the shelter to see his wife.

court -- lawsuit, gavel, moneyBurrows seeks $175,000 for current and future medical bills, and up to $500,000 in non-economic damages.

Mission director Ken Amelio didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

Topics Oregon

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