N.J. woman suffered herniated disc during massage, lawsuit claims - NJ.com

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DEMAREST - A woman who hired a massage therapist to help her relax claims she was instead injured when the man applied too much pressure to her neck, according to a lawsuit.

Rita Shaloub, 63, arranged for Michael Sourbis, 49, of the Cranial Release Center of New Jersey to give her a massage in her home on June 18, 2015, according to the suit filed last month in Bergen County Superior Court.

The suit seeks unspecified damages with interest, along with costs of the suit.

According to his website, Sourbis has been a practicing massage therapist for more than 20 years. He claims the technique known as cranial release is part of a new school of thought and that the therapy releases all tissues and structures associated with the cranium. The technique involves placing pressure on the patient's head and neck.

Contacted Monday at his business on Route 17 in Paramus, Sourbis, a licensed massage therapist, declined to comment.

Shaloub was injured as a result of the message, according to attorney Rosemarie Arnold of Fort Lee.

"I don't want you to touch my head," Shaloub told the therapist, according to Arnold.

Sourbis began massaging other parts of the woman's body but eventually returned to manipulating the woman's head, Arnold claims in the suit.

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Once Shaloub realized she was hurt, she told Sourbis to leave her home, according to Arnold.

"My client was not looking for cranial therapy," Arnold said. "She was interested in having a massage. They gave her cranial therapy even though she didn't want it."

Arnold said the incident was the first time Shaloub had called the Cranial Release Center and did so only because they were located in Bergen County, where she lives.

Shaloub went to a hospital and later learned she had suffered a herniated disc in her neck. She has since had "many, many" subsequent visits to the doctor, Arnold said.

Sourbis is accused of breaching his duty to conduct himself in a "safe and reasonable manner."

"He harmfully touched plaintiff's neck against her will and without her consent. (The) acts were achieved by physical force, which constituted separate and distinct acts of assault and battery," the suit states.

The lawsuit claims Shaloub suffered serious and permanent injuries that left her disabled. She has suffered mental and physical torment, has suffered severe emotional distress and was left "with reasonable fear," the suit states.

As a client, Shaloub claims she was a third-party beneficiary under insurance policies held by the Cranial Release Center but that, to date, she has not received a payment.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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