Civil lawsuit filed against Omaha massage parlor after allegations against therapist -...

[massage]

An Omaha woman is accusing Oasis Massage & Spa of failing to adequately supervise one of its staff members, which allowed him to sexually assault her during a massage.


A civil lawsuit, filed in Douglas County District Court on Friday, is the first filed in connection with the case of Melvin Buffington, who is accused of improperly touching at least 13 women while providing massages at Oasis, located at 689 N. 132nd St.


Buffington, 62, has been charged in criminal court with two counts of first-degree sexual assault and 12 counts of third-degree sexual assault (two of the counts involve the same woman). He faces a maximum of 112 years in prison if convicted on all charges.


Lindsey Carper, owner of Oasis Massage & Spa, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. Previously, she has said that the business is cooperating with police.


In the civil lawsuit, an Omaha woman identified only as “Jane Doe,” said she went to the spa on Jan. 12 and was inappropriately touched and assaulted by Buffington. The lawsuit alleges that Oasis failed to exercise “reasonable care” in protecting its customers, and did not properly supervise Buffington. The woman, the lawsuit said, suffered mental anguish and an invasion of privacy.


Vince Powers, one of three attorneys who filed the lawsuit, said that his client did not want to be identified because the matter involved sexual assault.


He said he hoped the lawsuit will serve as a warning to other businesses and that similar incidents will be prevented.


Let's block ads! (Why?)