Four licensed massage therapists in Florida have lost their license following disciplinary actions brought by the Florida Department of Health Board of Massage Therapy alleging sexual misconduct. In each instance, the massage therapist elected to relinquish the license in response to an investigation. These disciplinary Orders continue a long and disturbing trend of sexual misconduct by massage therapists statewide. Under…
Your Voice Matters. Your Story Matters.
SEXUAL ABUSE ATTORNEY
Guilty Verdict in Bill Cosby Case Sends Powerful Messages
A Pennsylvania jury has found Bill Cosby guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault. As the first major criminal trial since the emergence of the #MeToo movement, this verdict sends a message of hope to survivors of abuse and a warning message to those who have abused their power. It also demonstrates that there is strength in numbers and justice…
Filing a Lawsuit for Sexual Assault by a Massage Therapist
Horowitz Law is experienced in handling cases involving sexual assault by massage therapists during a massage appointment. Across the country there have been an increasing number of cases involving inappropriate sexual contact by massage therapists. The perpetrators of these assaults are often repeat offenders who prey on the vulnerability of their clients. Even worse, there are spa owners who continue to employ massage…
Why Do Victims ‘Freeze Up’ During A Sexual Assault?
It is a widely held but erroneous belief — even within the justice system — that people who are sexually assaulted will always respond with a “fight-or-flight” response. But the reality is that many sexual assault victims have neither of these exact responses. Instead, they have a completely different but also natural, less-talked-about reaction to high-stress, fear-filled situations. That response…
Sex Battery Charges Filed against Broward County Masseur Employed at Massage LuXe in Coral Springs
Broward County massage therapist, Rayniel Lazaro Hernandez Basulto, is facing criminal charges that he sexually assaulted a female client at a Massage LuXe franchise located at 4637 University Drive in Coral Springs, Florida. According to law enforcement records, the client used a Groupon for the service at Massage LuXe in February 2017 and asked for a female massage therapist. She told police she…
Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy; Intends to Settle Sex Abuse Claims
The Diocese of Great Falls-Billings on Friday has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in federal court. The filings sets in motion a process to potentially reorganize the Diocese assets toward a settlement in lawsuits claiming that more than twenty religious community leaders sexually abused at least seventy-two victims in eastern Montana over the course of several decades. Other alleged…
Marion County Teacher Arrested for Groping Students Had Prior Similar Accusations
Timothy Cooke, a substitute teacher at Lake Weir High School in Ocala has been arrested on two counts of battery of a minor after deputies say he inappropriately touched two female students. Since 2009, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office has investigated five cases of simple battery on Lake Weir High School students by Cooke, with the two most recent cases culminating in…
Palm Bay Pastor Arrested, Accused of Molestation of Teenage Girl
Samuel Vidal, Jr., 40, a Palm Bay pastor and past president of a Christian school, stands accused of improper conduct with a 15-year-old girl at Restoration Church of God International. According to law enforcement records, Vidal, Jr. was arrested by Palm Bay police and charged with one count of lewd/lascivious molestation of a minor. Vidal has most recently been working…
Tampa Teacher Arrested on Charges He Molested Disabled Student at LaVoy Exceptional Center
Hillsborough County teacher George Summers, age 68, has been criminally charged with molesting a teenage student. Prior to his arrest, Summers taught special needs students at LaVoy Exceptional Center, where the abuse is alleged to have occurred. LaVoy Exceptional Center school is located at 4410 W. Main St. in Tampa. After conducting interviews, police detectives charged Summers with lewd and lascivious…
New Lawsuit Alleges Owner of Sunrise, Florida Courier Business Sexually Assaulted Female Employee
A new lawsuit filed by Sexual abuse attorney Adam Horowitz alleges that the owner and president of Direct Messenger Service, Jeffrey Bass, sexually assaulted a female employee on multiple occasions during her employment with the company between 2013 and 2015. Direct Messenger Service is a courier company in Sunrise, Florida. According to the lawsuit filed in Broward County Circuit Court (Case…