Update: Former Conroe employees expose alleged cover-up in Massage Envy sexual assault scandal
Employee speaks on alleged Massage Envy abuse
A new lawsuit is giving us an inside look at the alleged pattern of abuse at a local Massage Envy. The Conroe location has already paid $1 million to two clients who claimed sexual assault, but now more women are coming forward with their claims. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle reports more on the alleged coverup.
CONROE, Texas - In a recent development, three additional women have come forward in a lawsuit, alleging sexual assault by a massage therapist at a Massage Envy franchise in Conroe.
These victims spoke to attorneys at Blizzard Greenberg PLLC after seeing FOX 26's report in October.
RELATED: Houston-area massage parlor Massage Envy loses $1 million in sexual assault lawsuit
This follows a $1 million settlement last month related to two other sexual assault cases involving the same massage therapist at the same location. Former employees are now shedding light on what they claim is an extensive cover-up by Massage Envy, allowing more victims to suffer.
Lawsuit details alleged abuse at Massage Envy
A disturbing case out of Conroe details sexual assault allegations made against massage therapists. Since our first story aired in October, three more women and two former employees have made similar claims. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle has more from a former employee at the business.
The defendants in the case include the Massage Envy franchise in Conroe, the corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the former massage therapist, Jose "Joe" Barajas Franco, who faces felony sexual assault charges in Montgomery County based on the two earlier cases. He is currently free on bond awaiting trial.
The new lawsuit details the experiences of three victims referred to as Jane Does 1-3. They allege that the assailant failed to adequately cover them during massage sessions and engaged in inappropriate touching. All three women promptly reported the incidents to the Conroe Police Department.
The legal case exposes claims of a cover-up within Massage Envy, with former employees providing evidence of numerous complaints against Mr. Franco prior to his termination. According to their accounts, staff members documented these complaints, only to have their notes deleted from the Massage Envy computer system.
Trial lawyer Anna Greenberg of Blizzard Greenberg PLLC, representing the victims, asserts that franchise owner Mack Miller may have enabled a predator by neglecting a series of complaints against the therapist. "What the whistleblowers show is that there was an extensive cover-up to protect the brand and ensure that other unsuspecting women would not become aware of the danger," Greenberg says. "Already, we know of at least five women who were assaulted. The question is whether there are more cases, since sexual assaults often go unreported."
The lawsuit also highlights a specific incident where a former employee consoled a distressed woman who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Mr. Franco during a massage. Despite the employee reporting the incident to management, the complaint was allegedly not documented in Mr. Franco's personnel file, and no investigation was conducted.