San Diego Woman Says She Was Raped At Massage Envy: NBC

SAN DIEGO, CA -- A local woman told NBC San Diego that she is one of the many sexual assault victims of a Massage Envy therapist. The woman told the local news station Monday that she was raped at a location in Rancho Bernardo.

The company is the center of a BuzzFeed News investigative story that says more than 180 women have reportedly been sexually assaulted at Massage Envy, a massage chain with more than 1,200 locations in the U.S.

NBC reported that the woman filed a complaint in September 2011 and settled the case with "one or more of the defendants."

"According to her lawsuit, she had fallen asleep on the massage table and awoke when the therapist grabbed her legs, pulled her to the edge of the table, and raped her," NBC reported. "The lawsuit also claims the therapist had a criminal record for felony assault, and the woman’s attorney argued that the Massage Envy franchise and its parent company are responsible for damage to the woman because they employed the therapist, despite that warning sign."

NBC reported that the "massage therapist named in the lawsuit had his license revoked. It is unclear if that revocation was related to the alleged rape."

BuzzFeed News investigated files and found that "dozens of women reported digital and oral penetration."

"Over 100 reported that massage therapists groped their genitals, groped their breasts, or committed other explicit violations, such as the California woman who said she opened her eyes during a prenatal massage to find her massage therapist sucking on her nipple," the news website reported.

--Photo via Massage Envy | Patch archive