Massage Envy Faces Wave Of Sexual Assault Complaints
In an exclusive report published in November 2017, Buzzfeed News documented the extraordinary scope of this problem, providing details from over 180 sexual abuse cases involving Massage Envy therapists. The report triggered a public relations controversy for the national massage spa chain. In the wake of publication, Massage Envy rededicated itself to protecting customers, promising to strengthen background screening checks for therapists and create simple, clear guidelines for reporting abuse.But many abuse survivors say that Massage Envy’s recent turn toward transparency is too little too late. In a wave of Massage Envy lawsuits, survivors accuse Massage Envy of failing to protect customers from dangerous sexual predators.
Brian Kent Leads Team Of Massage Envy Attorneys
Leading the charge is Massage Envy attorney Brian Kent, Esq. A former prosecutor for the Sex Crimes Unit of the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, Kent now serves as a partner at the law offices of Laffey, Bucci & Kent in Philadelphia.Along with his colleagues, Kent has filed major new lawsuits against Massage Envy in Pennsylvania, California, Florida and New Jersey. Kent’s lawsuit in Philadelphia, which represents six women who say they were assaulted by Massage Envy therapists, is believed to be the first in the nation against the company.
The Massage Envy lawyers say not enough was done to protect unsuspecting customers. A spate of recent arrests has only thrown fuel on the fire, as massage therapists in Washington, D.C. and Florida now face charges for inappropriately touching customers at Massage Envy locations.
Lawyers Denounce “Culture Of Silence”
These are not isolated incidents, according to the recent lawsuits. Assault survivors claim in legal documents that Massage Envy’s corporate office has presided over a national organization that turns a blind eye to sexual abuse. To buttress their argument, the women cite internal corporate policies that appear to discourage Massage Envy owners and employees from reporting sexual assault cases to the proper authorities. Instead, the survivors allege, Massage Envy instructs owners to handle abuse investigations “in house” in an effort to avoid scandal.Through their own investigatory work, the attorneys at Laffey, Bucci & Kent have found that Massage Envy’s corporate policies support a “culture of silence,” one in which sexual abuse survivors are silenced, even actively discouraged from reporting the crimes. Damning reports have surfaced that appear to show Massage Envy’s corporate office discouraging franchise owners from reporting sexual abuse to police or state massage licensing boards.
As in the Catholic Church, Massage Envy therapists who find themselves accused of sexual misconduct are often transferred to other locations, where they gain new access to vulnerable victims. “In numerous cases involving sexual assault,” the attorneys write in court briefings, “Massage Envy therapists were allowed to remain employed, were transferred [or were] re-hired at another Massage Envy franchise location, only to go onto sexually assault another, if not multiple, female customers.”
