Massage Envy therapist was sexually assaulted while receiving professional services from her coworker.
A popular massage service chain is involved in a recent Texas lawsuit. According to the suit, a Massage Envy therapist was sexually assaulted while receiving professional services from her coworker. Court documents show that the alleged assault happened around January 30, 2021, at a Houston Massage Envy location.
The alleged survivor has chosen to remain anonymous, but says that she feels unsafe to the point where she cannot comfortably perform tasks essential to her occupation. It “is not a safe place for me or anybody else," she told a Dallas news station in an interview.
While working at Massage Envy, the unidentified female employee experienced upper back and neck pain. Because of these complications, she booked a massage appointment with a male coworker. Ricky Newsome proceeded to touch her breasts and "slid his hands under her underwear and groped her,” the lawsuit states.
She describes laying quietly on the massage table until she felt she could end the session early.
"Every time I would go back into those rooms… I felt like I did every single time, I felt like I did that day," she said to investigators, through tears. "Like I’m trapped, and I’m trapped too because I need my job."
Court documents show that management received the woman’s complaint shortly after the incident occurred. She claims the manager was apologetic, yet also admitted that similar complaints were made about Newsome before the reported incident.
He “was accused of inappropriately touching another client at that location” just one week prior.
Ultimately, the survivor prioritized her safety and resigned from her position at Massage Envy. Anna Greenberg, her attorney, condemns the male employee’s behavior: "Working under undergarments of any kind is a zero tolerance offense according to Massage Envy’s own policies," she said. "And so that requires immediate termination."
Even under these guidelines, the alleged perpetrator maintained employment with Massage Envy. He was eventually relocated to another site in Fort Worth before his termination months later.
"It’s time Massage Envy stops protecting its brand and the predators and starts protecting its clients," Greenberg said. "They let him continue to operate unchecked."
Her client sued Massage Envy, her alleged abuser, and the owner and operator of the location where she was assaulted. She is speaking up now in hopes of preventing future abuse within the massage franchise.
"I don’t trust them," she said. "And I wouldn’t trust them if you were seeking massage services."
Massage Envy did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Authors: Alexis Kabat and Andy Goldwasser
