Blizzard Greenberg: Former employees tell of extensive cover-up by franchise
HOUSTON, December 01, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Three more women have filed a lawsuit saying they were sexually assaulted by a massage therapist at a Massage Envy franchise in Conroe.
That follows last month’s $1 million settlement of two other sexual assault cases tied to the same massage therapist at the same Massage Envy location. In the latest legal case, former employees have come forward with proof of a cover-up by Massage Envy that allowed a number of additional women to become victims.
Click here to view the new lawsuit.
Defendants in the case are the Massage Envy franchise in Conroe, Massage Envy’s corporate headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, and former massage therapist Jose "Joe" Barajas Franco.
Authorities in Montgomery County charged Mr. Franco with felony sexual assault based on the two earlier cases. He is free on bond while awaiting trial.
The latest victims, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Does 1-3, say the attacker failed to keep them properly covered during their massage sessions and touched them inappropriately. All three women contacted police.
In addition, the lawsuit reveals that multiple former employees reported receiving dozens of similar complaints about Mr. Franco prior to his termination. Although staff members documented the complaints, they say their notes were subsequently deleted from the Massage Envy computer system.
"It is clear to me that franchise owner Mack...
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