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Are you questioning your legal rights after a sexual assault by a massage therapist? You may have questions like:
Our team can connect you with sexual assault victims lawyers that are experienced in massage therapist lawsuits and are prepared to help you.
Massage therapy has become a hugely popular industry in the United States, with spas and nationwide chains like Massage Envy, Massage Luxe, and Hand & Stone are popping up throughout the country. Tragically, this surge in popularity has also coincided with a spike in reports of massage therapists sexually assaulting clients.
In many of these cases, the spas where the sexual assaults have occurred were negligent in their failure to prevent sexual assaults by massage therapists. The Legal Herald can refer you to attorneys who have filed sexual assault lawsuits against massage therapy businesses near you.
Spas and other massage therapy businesses are legally obligated to make sure their customers are safe from foreseeable dangers, including sexual assaults by massage therapists.
Given the widespread nature of sexual abuse by massage therapists, these businesses have a legal duty to enact preventative measures that can reduce the risk of clients being sexually assaulted.
Some of these assaults are preventable and only happen due to negligence by the spa owner. In such cases of negligence, victims of massage therapist sexual assault likely have grounds for a lawsuit against the business.
If you or a loved one is a victim of sexual assault by a massage therapist, an experienced sexual assault victims lawyer can help you determine if you have grounds for a lawsuit in a free consultation. We at The Legal Herald can connect you with an experienced lawyer near you.
Nationwide massage therapy chain Massage Envy has recently come under fire for widespread allegations of sexual assault against their massage therapists. According to a 2017 article by BuzzFeed News, over 180 women had filed sexual assault lawsuits, police reports, and state board complaints for sexual assaults at Massage Envy locations as of the publishing of the article. Dozens more have come forward since then, bringing the total alleged sexual assaults at Massage Envy to over 200.
Amanadelphia-based law firm Laffey, Bucci & Kent has filed several sexual assault lawsuits against Massage Envy in multiple states. The sexual assault victims law firm filed three lawsuits in one week in 2019, with a total of 20 victims across the three lawsuits.
These sexual assault victims' lawyers are representing at least five New Jersey women who allege that they were sexually assaulted at Massage Envy locations throughout the state – including locations in Short Hills, Piscataway, Closter, and Mays Landing.
The lawyers at Laffey, Bucci & Kent are also representing at least 16 other women in Massage Envy lawsuits in California, with California lawyer Jason Amala, and in Florida, with the Florida-based law firm Gordon & Donner.
According to attorney Stewart Ryan, the law firm had 93 clients as of February 2019 and that number has likely grown since then. Stewart also said that Laffey, Bucci & Kent has planned to file lawsuits against Massage Envy on behalf of victims in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Texas, Massachusetts, and New Mexico with the assistance of local counsel.
These lawsuits allege negligence by Massage Envy, accusing the nationwide chain of attempting to cover up sexual assaults and fostering a culture that encouraged keeping complaints “in-house” and concealed from “law enforcement, state massage therapy boards, unsuspecting customers, and the public at large.”
Massage Envy is not the only nationwide chain that has been rocked by a sexual assault scandal. Dozens of women have also reported being sexually assaulted by massage therapists at Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa locations throughout the United States and Canada, and Massage Luxe.
At least one sexual assault lawsuit has been filed against a Hand and Stone location in Clermont, Florida. Another has been filed in North Carolina.
Massage therapists for Hand and Stone have also been charged with sexually assaulting clients in several states, including:
Victims who have been sexually assaulted by massage therapists at smaller and independent spas have the same legal rights. Reporting these crimes to law enforcement can result in a criminal investigation of the massage therapist. Additionally, these victims may have grounds for a lawsuit against the business if negligence contributed to the assault.
If you’ve been sexually assaulted at a spa by a massage therapist, you are encouraged to report the abuse. It’s important to know that you can find justice for the harm you’ve suffered. You can hold the parties responsible for this traumatic assault accountable for your suffering – including the business where the assault happened if their negligence played a role in enabling the assault through a civil lawsuit.
Here are some steps you can take after being sexually assaulted by a massage therapist:
Taking legal action against a spa for sexual assault may not erase the trauma you’ve suffered, but these lawsuits can help provide the support you need to move forward.
Additionally, while criminal charges against a predatory massage therapist may help provide a sense of justice, it’s also important to hold negligent businesses accountable when customers are hurt due to their negligence. Civil lawsuits are the only way to demand accountability from negligent spas for sexual assaults committed by their employees.
Filing a lawsuit against a massage therapy business punishes them financially and provides financial support victims need and deserve for emotional and economic damages they’ve suffered due to being sexually assaulted, such as:
These lawsuits also often make headlines, which can prompt changes in preventative measures that massage therapy businesses have. These changes can help protect other clients from also being sexually assaulted. Additionally, other victims who have previously stayed silent may find the courage to come forward after learning about a massage therapist sexual assault lawsuit.
The Legal Herald has a national network of sexual assault victims lawyers who are holding negligent spas accountable for sexual assault and sexual harassment by their massage therapists. If you or someone you care about is a victim of massage therapist sexual assault, contact us today to set up a free consultation with one of these dedicated lawyers.
You can move past your trauma and find justice. These law firms have the resources, dedication, and experience needed to take on negligent massage therapy businesses and help victims find the support they deserve.
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