Clearwater Sexual Assault at Spas and Salons Lawyer
Spas and salons provide thousands of people with a relaxing and rejuvenating experience. From massages and pedicures to facials and waxing, many people make visits to salons part of their weekly routine.
Anytime a person visits a spa or salon they allow a stranger to touch them. Even in situations where a customer is friends with the employee, there are limits as to how and where the employee should touch the visitor. It is not uncommon for employees at these businesses to step over the line and inappropriately touch their customers. Worse, some employees may take advantage of customers and commit sexual assault.
A Clearwater sexual assault at spas and salons lawyer can represent individuals in their lawsuits against salons and spas for the actions of their employees. A distinguished sexual assault lawyer could hold these businesses responsible in civil court and to collect compensation to set things right.
How Does Spa Assault Occur?
An integral part of any visit to a spa or salon is personal contact. Indeed, the point of many services is to allow a person to touch customers in a therapeutic manner. However, there are certain lines that must not be crossed.
As a Clearwater sexual assault at spas and salons lawyer knows, even in full body massages, any touching of the genitals is both improper and illegal. Customers receiving these services should make clear where they expect to be touched and what contact is out of bounds.
In more serious situations, a massage therapist may hold a customer against their will. They may even initiate sexual contact without the customer’s consent. Anytime this happens this is both a matter for the police and the basis for a civil lawsuit.
Legal Options for Sexual Assault Claims
Any person who commits sexual assault may be facing criminal charges in Florida criminal courts. But even if these people are arrested, charged, convicted, and sent to prison, the purpose of the criminal court is only to punish the defendant. Even in the most clear-cut cases the court cannot order the defendant to pay the victim for their suffering. The only means to accomplish this is to undertake a related but independent civil lawsuit.
When a criminal court convicts a defendant, this will serve as powerful evidence in a civil case. Through the legal concept of res judicata, a court will not allow a party in a lawsuit to argue the same point of fact twice. In other words, if a criminal court finds that the defendant committed a sexual assault, that defendant cannot argue in civil court that the assault never took place.
This lawsuit can target both the employee who committed the assault and the salon that employed them. This is because all businesses are responsible for the actions of their employees. This is known as the concept of agency. While the salon may not be liable in criminal court, they may be the focus of any civil lawsuit.
How a Clearwater Sexual Assault at Spas and Salons Attorney Can Help
No person should suffer the pain and indignity of a sexual assault. The feelings of betrayal can be even more severe when the assault is committed at a salon or spa. A Clearwater sexual assault at spas and salons lawyer can represent individuals who were assaulted by employees in their civil claims against both the perpetrator of the act and their employers.
A lawyer can work with victims to hold the business responsible for the actions of their employees and to bring peace of mind and stability back into their lives. There is a time limit to file a claim so do not wait; contact a lawyer as soon as possible.