Lawsuit Says Frisco Massage Therapist Sexually Assaulted a Woman

A Denton County woman filed a lawsuit against a nationwide massage therapy company Tuesday, claiming she was sexually assaulted. Jane Doe, whose identity is concealed court documents because of the nature of her allegation, says she received massage therapy treatments at an Elements Massage franchise in Frisco for two years...

By Michael Murney

March 16, 2022

A Dallas area woman says a male massage therapist sexually assaulted her. She's not the first to accuse therapists at the nationwide franchise of sexual abuse. Getty Images

Audio By Carbonatix

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangleLeft",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangleRight",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangleLeft",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangleRight",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "leaderboardInlineContent",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "tower",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]

A Denton County woman filed a lawsuit against a nationwide massage therapy company Tuesday, claiming she was sexually assaulted. Jane Doe, whose identity is concealed court documents because of the nature of her allegation, says she received massage therapy treatments at an Elements Massage franchise in Frisco for two years before she was matched with a licensed male therapist. That therapist, she says, groped her genitals.

The lawsuit, filed in Collin County, claims that after two years of receiving treatments at the massage parlor, she requested a special deep tissue massage that only certain therapists at the location were licensed to perform.

Jane Doe ‘‘matched’ with a male therapist who in January 2021 after two initial sessions “took advantage of Plaintiff’s vulnerable state of undress to assault her,” the lawsuit alleges.

The massage began normally. But an hour into a 90-minute session, the suit alleges, the therapist "continued moving his hands along Plaintiff’s legs, and then without warning and without Plaintiff’s consent … touched Plaintiff’s vagina with his hands and began rubbing Plaintiff’s vagina." The therapist then "grabbed her butt crack,” court documents say.

Dallas-based attorney Michelle Simpson Tuegel, who represented multiple plaintiffs in sexual assault cases against disgraced former Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, is bringing the case against Elements.

“What we’ve seen is a pattern of similar situations where people have come forward with other issues against therapists who are employees of different Elements businesses, ranging from Utah, to California, Long Island, Arizona and Texas,” Tuegel said.

Jane Doe suffered ongoing damages to her mental and emotional health after leaving Elements’ Frisco location. “As a result of the assault, Plaintiff experienced shock, fear, panic, and embarrassment," court documents say.

"Additionally, in the months following the assault, Plaintiff struggled and continues to struggle to perform her job duties," the documents add. "As a result of the assault, Plaintiff sought out and continues to see a therapist to address the trauma resulting from the assault."

Neither Elements corporate headquarters nor representatives from Elements’ Frisco franchise responded to requests for comment.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.

Michael Murney is a staff writer at the Dallas Observer and a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. His reporting has appeared in Chicago’s South Side Weekly and the Chicago Reader.

Contact: Michael Murney