Woman Says 'Inappropriate Crotch Touching' Caused Emotional Distress: LAWSUIT

Caption: Thaddeus Scott-Chew, 22, of Chicago, was charged with battery after he allegedly touched a client in a sexually inappropriate manner. Chew and Massage Envy were named as defendants in a lawsuit.

A woman who claims that her privates were touched inappropriately and without her consent during a massage appointment is now suing an Elmhurst spa.

Cari Coglianese filed a lawsuit Nov. 13 in DuPage County Circuit Court against Massage Envy-Elmhurst LLC, doing business as Massage Envy Spa, and the massage therapist, Thaddeus Chew.

Chew, 22, who also goes by the name Thaddeus Scott-Chew, of Chicago, was charged with battery for the Sept. 9 touching incident, Elmhurst police said.

According to the lawsuit, the Elmhurst woman is asking for damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, partner liability and negligent supervision from the defendants.

The complaint maintains that Coglianese sought treatment for a medical condition requiring muscle massage treatments to relieve her pain in September 2014. She contacted Massage Envy at 191 S. Rt. 83 in Elmhurst and set up an appointment for Sept. 9.

When Coglianese arrived at the spa around 11 a.m. that day, she was assigned Chew as her masseuse. Chew escorted her to a private room to begin the treatment. During the massage session, the plaintiff alleges that Chew deliberately and inappropriately touched her in a sexually inappropriate manner on her crotch.

The unseemly touching caused the Elmhurst woman to experience severe emotional and physical distress, the civil complaint stated.

Chew’s license as a massage therapist remains active and is set to expire Dec. 31. He has no disciplinary history according the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

The lawsuit contends that when Coglianese alerted another Massage Envy employee that she had been sexually molested by Chew, management refused to take immediate action and in fact, attempted to distract Coglianese from the sexual battery.

Coglianese contacted Elmhurst police and reported the incident. When police arrived to investigate the incident, Chew had already left the premises, the civil complaint stated.

Eventually, Chew was arrested and charged with battery. He was released on bond, an Elmhurst police report said.

The lawsuit also charges that Massage Envy should have vetted Chew to determine if was competent and fit for his job as a massage therapist. Further, the spa and Chew both violated the Illinois Massage Licensing Act by failing “to protect the public from unprofessional conduct.”

Massage Envy spokeswoman Karen Sung said Chew is no longer employed at the Elmhurst location.

“When an incident of inappropriate conduct does occur despite our best prevention efforts, we strictly enforce our zero tolerance policy through serious consequences, including termination of therapists by franchisees and/or termination of franchise rights,” Sung said via email from the corporation’s Scottsdale, AZ office.

Chew’s next hearing on the criminal charge is Jan. 13, 2015 in the DuPage County Courthouse in Wheaton.

The plaintiff’s attorney in the civil lawsuit is requesting a jury trial and asking for more than $50,000 in damages and legal fees. The case is being represented by Chicago attorney Patricia C. Bobb.

MORE DUPAGE COUNTY STORIES ON PATCH