More than 180 Sexual Assault Claims Have Been Filed Against Massage Envy

According to a new report from #Buzzfeed News’s Katie Baker, more than 180 people have filed sexual assault lawsuits, police reports, and state board complaints against Massage Envy and its employees. All of the lawsuits are from women who claim that employees of the franchise groped, licked, touched and even penetrated them without their consent.
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One of the victims is Susan Ingram. On May 2, 2015, Ingram visited her local Massage Envy in West Chester, Pennsylvania, for her seventh session with James Deiter, a highly recommended massage therapist. After working with Deiter before, Ingram admits she trusted him. So as she laid there with her eyes closed, waiting for her massage, she was quickly interrupted by Deiter penetrating her.
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In this case, Deiter did eventually plead guilty to nine counts of sexual molestation. However, when they asked the owner why they didn’t do anything about the multiple sexual assault complaints, “she said it was the spa’s ‘official policy’ not to do anything until customers came in to report the assault in person.”
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When asked by lawyers why that policy is in place, the spa owner said, “I was following the policy of Massage Envy and therefore I thought it was appropriate.”
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Attorney Adam Horowitz says the entire concept of a chain spa, with entry-level therapists, is a bad idea. Horowitz previously represented victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. According to him, the cases are similar in that people generally trust massage therapists and priests to help them.
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Buzzfeed reports that Massage Envy executives were aware of the issue. The publication obtained one agreement requiring franchisees to buy an insurance rider “that protects them and the national company against at least three sexual assault claims per year.”
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They also found a 2014 “communication guide” that includes instructions for handling crises, with a bolded line that reads “Could it [bad thing] negatively impact Massage Envy’s Spa Brand?”
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The names of the offending therapists are reportedly kept in a database, but nothing has been done to address the issue.
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When asked to comment on the situation by Buzzfeed News, the company said it would not be “appropriate to respond point-by-point” to questions “because of pending litigation” and the confidential documents it entails.