4 Chicago Massage Envy Locations Among Those Sued in Alleged Assaults

A.G. Madigan issued subpoenas to the company after blockbuster report

Four separate lawsuits have been filed in the Chicago-area against one of the nation’s largest massage chains over claims of sexual assault, part of a tsunami of suits nationwide.

Nearly 200 lawsuits have been filed against Massage Envy over claims of sexual assault, a scathing new report says.

The report, the culmination of an in-depth investigation by Buzzfeed, documents the cases of people suing the company over masseuses inappropriately touching clients, and over the company’s failure to act in those cases.

Four of those cases have occurred in the Chicago-area, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued subpoenas to the company on Wednesday, citing the four lawsuits as the reason why the state is seeking more information on the company's handling of the assault claims. 

"I appreciate the women who have reported the sexual assaults they experienced during their massages," Madigan said in a statement. "I issued subpoenas because the public has a right to know what Massage Envy's policies are and what steps the company takes to prevent and address sexual assaults." 

In the most recent lawsuit, a woman filed a suit against a location in Tinley Park in late 2016. The woman filed a police report after she ways she was touched in a sexually inappropriate way, and she later filed a lawsuit against the company, which has yet to be resolved.

The lawsuit claims that Massage Envy did not do enough to protect the woman before and after the incident. The company disputes the assertion, saying that they require franchisees to conduct thorough investigation into any allegations of misconduct.

“Massage Envy Franchising, LLC has a strict Zero Tolerance Policy that addresses various types of inappropriate conduct, including making clear that such conduct is impermissible and will not be tolerated,” the company said.

An Elmhurst woman filed suit against a Massage Envy location there in Jan. 2015. The woman says that she was touched inappropriately by a masseuse at the location, and that the company tried to distract her and took no action on the case.

According to the Chicago Tribune, that lawsuit, along with a subsequent lawsuit against the masseuse, were both dropped voluntarily by the woman.

Two other lawsuits were also filed against Massage Envy locations in Chicago and in Naperville, according to the Tribune.  Both lawsuits were settled for undisclosed amounts.   

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