Horowitz Law has filed a lawsuit in Broward County Circuit Court against the Hollywood, Florida franchise of Massage Envy arising from an alleged incident of sexual misconduct by massage therapist Yahil Suarez Oliva at Massage Envy on November 24, 2020. This Massage Envy franchise is located at 5081 Sheridan St, Hollywood, FL 33021 in the Sheridan Plaza.
According to the client, Suarez Oliva provided a 60-minute massage to a 46-year-old female client. The client undressed and laid face down on the table with a sheet covering her buttocks. When Suarez Oliva entered the room, he uncovered one side of her buttocks.
During the massage, he allegedly touched and grazed the client's breast multiple times. At one point, he directed his client to flip over on her back and lay face up. According to the Emergency Order, the victim complained of sharp shooting pain in her groin area. Oliva began massaging the area with one hand, and with the other hand, he penetrated the client's vagina using one or more fingers. He then reportedly walked by her side and rubbed his erect penis on the client's arm and shoulder area. As he continued to massage her, the alleged victim told him "don't touch me," then got up and got dressed. The Order states that the client suffered from panic attacks for months thereafter.
The Florida Department of Health previously issued an Emergency Order on March 31, 2021, restricting the massage therapy license of Yahil Suarez Oliva. The Emergency Order was issued in response to this same woman's sexual misconduct claim. Suarez Oliva has been a licensed massage therapist in Florida since November 2018.
All massage therapists 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 adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com