Fort Collins Massage Heights franchise sued after therapist accused of sex assaults - Coloradoan

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Editor's note: This story includes references to sexual assault and suicide. Resources are available at the bottom of this story.


A lawsuit has been filed against a Fort Collins massage therapy franchise and the larger company for allegedly failing to protect clients from a massage therapist employed at the Fort Collins location who had been accused of sexually assaulting and inappropriately touching multiple clients.

The two women who filed the lawsuit say they were assaulted by a male massage therapist at the Massage Heights Front Range Village location in February and June 2022. Both women reported their assaults to Fort Collins Police Services.

Charges were filed against the massage therapist, Michael Murray, in both cases, but Murray died by suicide in January, prior to his first court appearance.


The lawsuit alleges Massage Heights — both the Fort Collins location and the franchising company — failed to thoroughly investigate sexual assault allegations against Murray, leading to more women being assaulted.


One of the women filing the lawsuit said she was inappropriately touched by Murray during a massage in February 2022. She reported this to Fort Collins police, which opened an investigation. The company also initiated an investigation — through a private investigative company called Redirect — but "a thorough and accurate investigation was not done,” the lawsuit claims.


In March, the other woman who filed this lawsuit said she was told by the Fort Collins Massage Heights location that Murray was "on a leave of absence" and "taking time off," so another massage therapist would be treating her. In June, she said she was told Murray was back at work — he was reportedly rehired in May, according to the lawsuit — and she scheduled an appointment for June. During that appointment, she said she was sexually assaulted, and she reported that assault to Fort Collins police.


This assault "devastated" the woman, who has since suffered severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression, and she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the lawsuit.


“It is unfortunate that (these women) were forced to seek justice through the filing of a lawsuit," attorney Sara Stieben told the Coloradoan. Stieben is representing one of the women in the lawsuit.

After Fort Collins police announced Murray's arrest in December 2022, five other women reported to police they were also inappropriately touched or sexually assaulted by Murray between December 2021 and February 2022, Stieben told the Coloradoan. Fort Collins police confirmed that number.

The lawsuit claims there's a record of a female client reporting she was sexually assaulted by a massage therapist at the Massage Heights Centerra location in Loveland — which is owned by Lisa and Brad Moore, who also own the Fort Collins location — in 2018 or 2019, but no action was taken.

Massage Heights has not responded to the Coloradoan's request for comment.

There are more than 100 Massage Heights locations in the country, and there have been multiple other sexual assault allegations at its various locations, according to the lawsuit. The franchising company uses Redirect to investigate allegations of sexual assault against its massage therapists at its locations, the lawsuit stated.


Anyone with information about these incidents or who experienced similar inappropriate incidents and has not yet spoken with police can call Detective Julia Chenoweth at 970-416-2645.

Resources for sexual assault survivors in Larimer County​

Here are community organizations in Larimer County that support survivors of sexual assault:

• Alternatives to Violence: Call 970-669-5150, text 970-669-5157 or alternativestoviolence.org
• Sexual Assault Victim Assistance (SAVA): 970-472-4204 or savacenter.org. SAVA's 24/7 Rape Crisis Hotline can be reached at 970-472-4200
• ChildSafe (for individuals and families who have experienced incest or child sexual abuse): 970-472-4133 and childsafecolorado.org
• The Hub, Larimer County's multi-agency hotline, can take confidential reports 24/7: 970-498-6990; learn more at larimer.gov/humanservices/hub

If you have been the victim of a crime, contact your local law enforcement agency:

• Larimer County Sheriff's Office: 970-416-1985
• Fort Collins Police Services: 970-221-6540
• Loveland Police Department: 970-667-2151
• Estes Park Police Department: 970-586-4000

If it is an emergency, call 911.

Resources for people in crisis​

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