WILSONVILLE, Ore. -- Five women claim they were sexually assaulted by male staff while inmates at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Wilsonville.

They’re suing the state of Oregon over the allegations and seek millions in damages.

The alleged victims also name former Coffee Creek prison staff and the Oregon Department of Corrections in the lawsuit, claiming emotional and physical distress after years of abuse.

According to the victims, the abuse began three years ago. Male staff began to “sexually grooming” the women -- being nice to them and giving them favors in exchange for something more, the lawsuit alleges.

The improprieties then escalated to verbal assault and sexual intercourse, according to the lawsuit.

“This is something that sticks with people for the rest of their lives. They were dealing with someone who is a supervisor, someone who is over you and that authority that they have … put them in an extremely vulnerable position,” said Brian Lathen, an attorney for the victims.

Earlier this year, four former employees named as defendants in the case were arrested on accusations of sexual misconduct with inmates.

One of the accused, Paul Golden, worked in landscaping. Others did maintenance around the facilities and one was a corrections officer.

"In my view, this was not a one-time deal; this is an ongoing problem that needs to be dealt with,” Lathen said.

The lawsuits claims the state’s Corrections Department allowed the abuse to happen, because officials "failed to adequately train, supervise and discipline its employees and failed to provide adequate surveillance."

The victims feared coming forward, says their lawyer, because prison staff could make their life behind bars even more difficult.

Once one victim had the courage to come forward, others followed.

The Department of Corrections declined to comment because of the pending lawsuit.