Lawsuit accuses Massage Envy of molesting clients in Palm Beach County - MyPalmBeachPost

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WEST PALM BEACH —
Eleven women on Monday filed suit against Massage Envy, claiming they were sexually assaulted while getting treatment at the massage giant’s stores in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Royal Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and other Florida locations.

In the 168-page lawsuit filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, attorneys for the unidentified women claim the Arizona-based franchiser knew assaults were rampant but took steps to make sure the allegations were never brought to the attention of authorities.

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Company officials “actively sought to conceal the knowledge and danger of customers being sexually assaulted within their business locations by actively preventing sexual assault reports from being reported to law enforcement and/or state massage therapy boards,” Palm Beach Gardens attorney Jennifer Lipinski wrote in the lawsuit.

The women, some who went to Massage Envy for treatment of painful spinal injuries, are being identified only as “Jane Does” because of the nature of the allegations, she said.

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Massage Envy officials weren’t immediately available for comment.

A similar lawsuit was filed earlier this month in California. Both lawsuits come on the heels of an investigation by Buzzfeed that uncovered 180 women nationwide who reported being molested by male masseuses at Massage Envy outlets.

On its website, the company claims to be “the largest employer of massage therapists and estheticians” in the country. It claims it has more than 35,000 employees and 1.65 million members. Since it was founded in 2002, it says its roughly 1,170 franchises in 49 states have performed more than 135 million massages and facials.


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