Woman says she was sexually assaulted by massage therapist at upscale Oakland hotel - KRON4

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OAKLAND (KRON) - A woman who says she was sexually assaulted by a massage therapist at the Claremont Hotel spa is now suing her alleged attacker and the upscale resort.

The victim says the December incident was reported to law enforcement and not much has been done about it.

It's one of Oakland's most iconic and luxurious retreats, a place the victim says was her refuge for the past 15 years she's been a client. But that all changed for her 10 months ago when she went into the Claremont Hotel spa for a massage.

Her therapist is a man she'd gotten massages from four-to-five times in the past with no incident. But one time, she says, he touched her inappropriately.

“His hands went up the sides of my body and touch the sides of my breasts, and I clap my arms down and I thought it was an accident,” said the alleged victim, who did not want to be identified.

She says when she turned over, he blindfolded her with a pillowcase and then touched her a second time in a way she knew was no mistake.

“He had his hands on my breasts," the woman said. "I had to physically remove his hands from my breasts. There was no reason for his hands to be on my breasts. That was no accident.”

She says she ended the massage and immediately reported it to a manager at the spa and a security guard. The next day, she filed a police report of sexual battery. It specified that the responding officer called the spa and left a voicemail.

As far as she knows, that's all that was done.

She says the Claremont has not contacted her and as far as she knows, he still works there.

“And to have it be that I report this and nobody listens and nothing changed, it's shocking and it's humiliating to have to be here doing this now,” the woman said.

She goes by the name Jane Doe in the lawsuit filed in September. She is suing the Claremont Hotel and Spa, a Fairmont Hotel, as well as the massage therapist who KRON4 is not identifying. He has not been arrested or charged with a crime. Oakland police say it's an open investigation.

No one from the Claremont has returned my calls but the executive director reportedly told another news outlet that a thorough and prompt investigation of this alleged incident was conducted and concluded months ago.

The alleged victim is suing both for punitive damages and is seeking the court to prevent the Claremont from allowing the therapist from performing massages.

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