Spa chain Massage Envy has been accused of failing to protect its customers at several Florida locations. Credit: Zoriana Zaitseva/Shutterstock.com

A lawsuit filed Monday is alleging that Massage Envy deliberately concealed from prospective customers the existence of sexual assaults perpetrated by company employees.

According to the 163-page complaint filed in Palm Beach Circuit Court, Massage Envy ”not only failed to provide basic safety to clients in a most vulnerable setting, but it systemically and intentionally conspired and concealed the rampant problem of massage therapists at Massage Envy franchise locations sexually assaulting customers throughout the country.”

The lawsuit includes accounts from 11 Jane Doe plaintiffs, all of whom allege that they were inappropriately touched or sexually assaulted by Massage Envy employees.

The incidents described purportedly took place at nine different Massage Envy locations in Florida, including franchises in Palm Beach, Sarasota and Duval Counties.

For its part, Massage Envy said it was committed to protecting customers and staff, and directed the Daily Business Review to a web page detailing its efforts.

Click here to read Massage Envy's full Commitment to Safety plan.

The company also offered the following statement:

“While we aren't able to comment on active litigation, we can tell you that we focused on our Commitment to Safety plan which is further strengthening our existing policies,” the statement read. “Safety is and will always be our priority and we will never stop working on it.”

The plaintiffs are represented by attorneys Jennifer Lipinski of South Florida firm Gordon & Doner and Brian Kent of Laffey, Bucci & Kent in Philadelphia. Kent recently filed a suit against Massage Envy with similar allegations in California. Many of his clients shared their stories in a November 2017 Buzzfeed story that went viral.

Kent tells the Daily Business Review that he has worked on similar suits against Massage Envy for several years.

Brian Kent, left, and Jennifer Lipinski, right.

“The consistent theme was none of these women knew about these problems of sexual assaults happening by [Massage Envy] massage therapists. They were extremely upset not just that they were exploited … but that they were kept in the dark and the decision about their safety was taken out of their hands,” Kent said. “These lawsuits are really about transparency and what Massage Envy has done to conceal this sort of rampant problem that they have in their business from the public.”

Kent notes that many Massage Envy customers visit the spa chain for relief from physical and mental ailments, and that these assaults have affected their ability to get treatment while feeling safe and secure.

When it came time to file a lawsuit in Florida, Kent brought on Lipinski due to the two's previous familiarity as well as Lipinski's experience representing survivors of assault.

“There are a lot of women who have come forward in the #Metoo movement, and it's nice for them to have a female litigator to talk to and confide these problems in,” Lipinski said. “Because after they were just assaulted by a man, they don't want to talk to a man.”

Both attorneys have worked on high-profile cases previously: Kent has filed two lawsuits against Penn State for their involvement and knowledge of  the sexual abuse perpetrated by ex-coach Jerry Sandusky. Lipinski, meanwhile, has helped secure a $1.7 million wrongful death settlement with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office for the 2012 killing of mentally ill teen Michael Camberdella by an officer.

Related:  Family of Fatally Shot Teen to Receive $1.7M From Palm Beach Sheriff

Kent claimed that he has not witnessed this scale of an institutional cover-up in a private corporation before.

“Usually it's an institutional assault that's led to [sexual assaults] occurring. I think in the business of massage therapy, you need extra safeguards because of the vulnerability of customers being in a closed room with strangers with their clothes off,” Kent said.”There are plenty of massage businesses throughout the country and I have not seen anything like this. We're seeing multiple victims at the same franchise in multiple states throughout the county; this is not an individual problem.”

Lipinski explained that both her and Kent understand the difficulties involved for victims when  sharing their stories of sexual assault.

“We're so proud of our clients for finding the strength to come forward — many were scared to for a variety of reasons,” Lipinski said, noting that she and Kent are “happy to stand hand in hand” with the plaintiffs in their case against Massage Envy.

 

 

Read the complaint against Massage Envy filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court: