Landlord speaks out about raid on Springfield massage parlors - KSPR

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KSPR) -- A landlord on Wednesday talked about about one of the massage parlors raided in what police said is part of a human trafficking ring.

The lights are off, and the door is locked. A sign on the door is the only indication that anything is amiss at Asian Massage, 2840 W. Fremont Ave. No one is saying when it will reopen, but the landlord said the owner has paid him for August's rent.

"I almost feel like this lady is innocent. I'm not saying everybody else is. I don't know what the situation is. I kind of feel like this lady may be innocent, just caught up in this whole thing," said Rob Lurvey, who owns the building that houses Asian Massage.

Lurvey said his renter did not do anything wrong after police raided Asian Massage looking for human traffickers.

"It was a complete surprise to all of us. I hadn't heard anybody who said anything about them," Lurvey said.

However, Lurvey said he has not been inside this building since before Asian Massage opened.

“As far as I know, they're totally legitimate," Lurvey said.


A local lawyer who specializes in landlord law said Lurvey would have every right to kick them out if he thought there was illegal activity but he would have to prove it.

"The mere fact that law enforcement has raided a commercial unit or a residential unit -- that in itself does not give the landlord a right to evict that tenant," said attorney Doug Fredrick.

"I've got a clause and I think every landlord in town has a clause in the release that says you have to be a legitimate business, not breaking the law," Lurvey said.

But Lurvey said he is not planning on kicking them out.

"They're innocent until proven guilty and I'm not going to be the one that discriminates against them," Lurvey said. "To get biblical on it, judge not lest you be judged."

KSPR News crews talked to people at businesses nearby. They said they saw suspicious things happening around Asian Massage, like men parking across the street and then walking to Asian Massage when there is plenty of parking. However, they said they did not tell Lurvey any of this, and Fredrick said neither Lurvey nor any landlord legally has to take neighboring business' complaints seriously.

The lawyer added, if landlords think something illegal is happening at any business, the landlord does have the right to enter immediately. But, he said, be careful. Landlords should call the police before just walking in if they think something illegal is happening.


You can hear free legal advice from the lawyer about landlord law on the videos attached to this story.

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