Scott Taylor, the embattled Tulsa artist who became the subject of intense public scrutiny after allegations of predatory sexual behavior began circulating on social media in 2022, has been ordered by Tulsa County District Judge Kelly Greenough to pay $1.2 million in damages to his adopted daughter Madelyn Taylor, in a civil case originally brought by Taylor against his daughter. The judgment, rendered on Monday, is the latest twist in a years-long saga that began with a contentious divorce in 2014 and was followed by multiple protective orders, a DHS investigation, a public reckoning, and dueling lawsuits.
Scott Taylor filed his initial complaint on August 30, 2022, claiming that Madelyn Taylor, Sydney Turner, and Kylie Wright (whose name is Kylie Wells despite being named as “Kylie Wright” in court filings), had committed legal negligence by claiming in social media posts online that Scott (who was unnamed in the posts) was prone to “prey on women” and “force himself upon them” in his studio. The complaint also accused Wells and Madelyn Taylor of circulating confidential DHS records related to allegations of sexual abuse made by Madelyn against Scott.
At the time of the posts and their backlash, Scott was a prominent working artist in Tulsa, with a billboard advertising his services on 11th Street, and murals in the Arts District, Glacier Dessert Bar, the BOK Center, and Andolini’s Sliced. He opened Scott Taylor Gallery on Cherry Street in 2021.
In a September 2022 interview, Madelyn told Fox23 that Scott had sexually abused her from the ages of seven to 14. “I was told that if I talked about anything that I was not going to be able to see my little brothers,” she said. Fox23 also reported that a DHS investigation had determined that “the sexual abuse and rape allegations made by Madelyn against her adopted father were substantiated.”
A Long Legal Road
Scott’s initial complaint was dismissed with prejudice in 2023, but Madelyn’s counterclaims—that he groomed, molested, and sexually assaulted her—moved forward.
The DHS investigation was part of a yearslong divorce proceeding initiated by Madelyn’s mother Casey Taylor against Scott. Although a divorce decree was issued in December 2014, the case continued on for years as Scott fought for sole custody of Madelyn and her siblings, despite multiple protective orders and allegations of abuse.
A sworn affidavit filed by Madelyn in July 2020, when she was 19, states that her brother, a minor, had been in a physical altercation with Scott. “[My brother] told me that he had blood on him, but cleaned it up.” The affidavit ended with Madelyn stating “I believe that at this time, [my brother] is in imminent risk [of] irreparable harm if required to return to the home of the father, Scott Taylor.”
When public allegations of Scott’s predatory sexual behavior toward other women first emerged in the summer of 2022, Madelyn Taylor shared a photo on social media of a DHS document detailing her own allegations against Scott.
The public response against Scott was swift and loud. Living Arts publicly distanced itself from his work, and TulsaPeople and TulsaKids Magazine both removed fawning coverage of him from their websites. His billboard was defaced, and his gallery was vandalized.
Two weeks after Madelyn’s post, Scott filed his civil suit against Madelyn, Wells, and Turner. Six weeks later, Madelyn filed her counterclaim alleging abuse of process and assault & battery against Scott as an individual, and negligence against Scott Taylor Art Gallery. She also sought punitive damages against both Scott and the gallery.
The case stalled multiple times; first, in January 2023, when Scott’s claims were dismissed with prejudice. In August 2023, records show that his attorney Keith Flinn withdrew from representation. Shortly thereafter, garnishment proceedings were initiated against Scott for unpaid legal bills totaling $15,806.36.
The court docket shows a 14-month period of no activity, from September 2023 to November 2024. On Nov. 27, 2024, Judge Greenough scheduled a disposition status conference for January 2025. When that date arrived, Scott failed to appear in court (he would later cite homelessness as his cause for not appearing), which led to the judge granting a default judgment against him on January 14, 2025.
On December 19, 2025, an evidentiary hearing was finally held, during which Madelyn, Wells, Turner and Scott all testified under oath. The evidentiary hearing concluded on Monday, when Judge Greenough ruled in favor of three of Madelyn’s counterclaims: Abuse of Process in the amount of $5,000, Assault & Battery in the amount of $700,000, and Punitive Damages in the amount of $500,000. In total, the judgment renders Scott responsible for over $1.2 million in damages.
“The outcome speaks for itself,” said Dustin Vanderhoof, one of the lawyers for Madelyn Taylor, Sydney Turner, and Kylie Wells.
When reached by phone, Preston T. Bennett, legal representation for Scott Taylor, declined to comment.
“The bravery Madelyn [Taylor] has displayed over the few years we’ve been dealing with this has been empowering and inspiring,” said Sydney Turner, one of the defendants in the case, by text. “Although $1.2 million won’t give her back what was lost over the years due to Scott’s abuse, it’s a damn good start. The energy in that room was indescribable when we heard that number, and it felt like I was witnessing in real time the first time a person in power was sending [Madelyn Taylor] a message, loud and clear: ‘I believe you.’”
Since the closing of Scott Taylor Gallery, Scott has opened a new gallery in Tulsa, according to his Instagram account. A recent post declares, “Trust the process and never give up.” For a time after the public backlash, his Instagram bio labeled him as a “survivor.”
Additional reporting and editing on this story was contributed by Joshua Kline and Matt Carney.
