A woman has filed suit in Circuit Court saying she found that she had been videoed during a session at a salon at Hamilton Place Mall. The suit says the woman, who said she was nude except for her panties for the session, says she is one of many filmed at the Massage Envy location.
The suit names Massage Envy, supervisor Brooke Phillips Goodyear and massagist Kenneth Lebron Spears.
Officials of Massage Envy said, “We are outraged and deeply saddened by the reprehensible actions of a former employee. His actions violate our strict internal rules, clear regulations set by the state of Tennessee and the Massage Envy brand. The safety and well-being of our members and employees is our absolute priority and as soon as we became aware of the inappropriate conduct, the employee was immediately terminated, the state board notified and law enforcement alerted.
"We remain fully engaged in supporting the ongoing investigation and have closely followed law enforcement’s direction. Our focus is on supporting those affected and rebuilding the trust of our clients and community. We cannot emphasize how much we appreciate the continued support of our loyal clients and friends.”
The suit says Spears had worked at Massage Envy since 2019.
The plaintiff said she was a frequent client of Massage Envy since December 2023. She said on May 31, 2024, she received her one and only massage from Spears.
She said the sessions were in a closed room and she believed the sessions were safe and private.
The woman said Spears instructed her to remove all her clothing. She said she complied, but kept her panties on. She said prior to the start of the session and before Spears re-entered the room, she covered herself with a throw blanket from her chest to her feet.
She said after the session and once Spears left the room she removed the throw blanket, dressed and left the room.
The woman said on March 25 she was contacted by detective Alex Olsen who told her "that she was one of many women Spears caught on camera at Massage Envy while undressing and getting dressed in session rooms."
She said the detective sent her a still shot photo, and she verified it was her.
The woman said she was advised she is one of as many as 80 victims in over 100 videos.
The suit says, given the large number of videos, the conduct was carried out over a substantial period of time and his supervisor knew, or should have known, that it was going on.
It says Ms. Goodyear did not take any action until September 2024 when another woman reported an incident to authorities. That woman arrived for a session with Spears as a first-time client of his.
While she was in the session room and nude she saw Spears' phone propped up in a corner and found it was recording her, it was stated.
The suit says she confronted Spears before contacting authorities.
It says the women who had sessions with Spears fear that he may still have videos of them and that they are on the Internet.
It requests a court order barring Spears from making any copies of the videos or still shots taken during sessions.
The complaint seeks $250,000 compensatory damages and $500,000 punitive damages.
It was filed by attorney Robin Flores.