On November 2, 2024, massage therapist Virgil Browne of Palm Beach got his license to practice massage therapy suspended by the Florida Department of Health. An Order of Emergency Suspension was issued after a complaint was filed against Virgil Browne of sexual assault on a client while working at the Breakers Palm Beach Resort in Palm Beach, FL. Virgil Browne has been a licensed massage therapist in Florida in Florida since 2023. The emergency suspension prohibits Browne from practicing massage therapy in Florida, effective immediately.
According to the Emergency Order, on August 23, 2024, Virgil Browne performed an 80-minute massage on a 19-year-old female client while working at The Spa at the Breakers Palm Beach. The client disrobed to her undergarments and laid face down on the table, covered with a sheet. The client claims that about 60 minutes into the massage, she felt the sheet coming off while Browne was massaging her upper thigh. Browne then allegedly reached under the draping and touched the victim's groin and vagina with his fingers while exposing her genital area.
He continued to massage her leg, and she screamed out to Browne, stating, "that was too much." In response, Browne said that he "got carried away." Virgil Browne asked the victim to not report him, but the teen decided to contact the Breaker management to report his misconduct so it wouldn't happen to others.
Clients of massage therapists are placed in isolated, vulnerable settings where they can be subject to abuse by their massage therapists. Due to the potential for abuse that is inherent under these circumstances, massage therapists must possess good judgment and good moral character in order to practice massage therapy safely. Any violation of that trust requires swift action, as it is both unacceptable and unlawful for a massage therapist to touch a client in a sexual manner. Virgil Browne willfully abused his position as a massage therapist to sexually violate a patient. Browne abused his power and lacked good moral judgment to practice massage safely.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual misconduct claims against massage therapists on behalf of clients who were inappropriately touched at massage parlors and other 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 e-mail Adam Horowitz at adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com for a free consultation.