Horowitz Law has filed a lawsuit in Broward County Circuit Court against the downtown Hollywood, Florida franchise of Massage Envy arising from an alleged incident of sexual misconduct by massage therapist Aitor Aizpurua at Massage Envy on July 14, 2018. This Massage Envy franchise is located at 1640 Sheridan Street in Hollywood, Florida.
According to the client, she removed her clothing and covered herself with draping before her massage therapist came into the room. The Complaint states that the therapist recommended a “Thai massage” to relieve tightness. Moments later, she says he got on top of her. The client stated, “I feel his body weight go forward on me, on my back. And then I feel his breathing, kind of like over my neck area. I feel him, just basically getting an erection over my tailbone. When I felt him get the erection, I knew something was wrong.” The client was frightened at what would happen next but managed to escape from the therapist and quickly end the appointment.
The Florida Department of Health previously issued an Emergency Order on November 29, 2018, restricting the massage therapy license of Aitor Aizpurua. The Emergency Order was issued in response to this same woman’s sexual misconduct claim. He has been licensed as a Massage Therapist in Florida since 2017 according to the Department of Health website.
All massage therapist in Florida are licensed by the Florida Department of Health. Other states have similar licensing boards. If your massage therapist makes any sexual contact with you, it is a violation of professional ethics and may be a crime. In addition to reporting misconduct to law enforcement, if this incident occurs in Florida you can also lodge a complaint with the Department of Health at this website: https://www.flhealthcomplaint.gov
If you have been a victim of sexual assault during a massage at any Massage Envy location, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at (954) 641-2100 or send an email to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected]