DESTIN MASSAGE THERAPIST FACES MULTIPLE SEXUAL MISCONDUCT COMPLAINTS
On December 17, 2020, the Florida Department of Health ordered the emergency restriction of the license of massage therapist, Alan Joseph McCullough, prohibiting his practice of massage therapy on female clients in the State of Florida. The Emergency Order was entered in response to multiple sexual misconduct complaints by female clients that allegedly occurred at two different massage spas in 2019 and 2020. McCullough has been a licensed massage therapist since 2019.
According to the Order, the first incident that was the subject of the discipline occurred on November 24, 2019, at Massage Envy (34904 Emerald Coast Pkwy, Suite 132, Destin, Florida) Alan McCullough performed a 90-minute full-body massage on a 42-year old female client visiting from Texas. The client complained that Mr. McCullough allegedly made her uncomfortable during her massage. She stated that Mr. McCullough fondled her breasts, flicked and pinched both nipples while lying on her back with a sheet covering her. The victim reported the incident to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office that same day.
On September 14, 2020, Mr. McCullough performed a massage on a 25-year old female client at ELEOS Professional Massage and Spa (3997 Commons Dr. W., Destin, Florida). She complained that when she was lying on her back, McCullough allegedly massaged her upper thighs and then placed two fingers over her underwear and rubbered her vaginal area three times before she sat up and told him to stop. She then got dressed and reported the incident to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office that same day. McCullough was arrested and charged with two counts of battery.
McCullough’s alleged violation of the massage therapist-patient relationship indicates that Mr. McCullough may lack the good moral character and judgment necessary to practice massage therapy. According to the Department of Health, McCullough willfully abused his position as a massage therapist by inappropriately touching and sexually violating women who trusted him to act professionally and within the boundaries of generally accepted massage therapy and treatment.
The Order ensures he can no longer pose a danger to the public’s health, welfare, and safety, pending a final hearing by the Department. When clients book a massage, it is to decompress from the stresses of life. They trust that the massage therapists employed at the spa are carefully vetted and safe to engage with the public. It is unacceptable, immoral, and unlawful for any employee to touch a client in a sexual manner.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual misconduct claims against massage therapists on behalf of clients who were sexually assaulted at massage businesses, spas, and resorts. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual battery during a massage, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected] for a free consultation.