Stan Lee Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Massage Therapist in New Lawsuit
Comic book legend Stan Lee is being sued by a massage therapist who accuses the 95-year-old of acting in an inappropriate manner during a massage session.
In the suit filed Monday, Maria Carballo says she was summoned to Lee’s suite at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Chicago last year to perform massage therapy on Lee.
According to the suit, about 30 minutes into the session, Carballo “noticed that Lee began to fondle himself as she performed the massage.”
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The suit says Carballo instructed Lee to roll onto his back in an effort to diffuse the situation, and noticed that the sheets Lee had been lying on “were wet,” but she decided to give Lee the benefit of the doubt.
According to the suit, the massage continued without any issues until Carballo began massaging Lee’s quadriceps, after which Lee began “to moan and groan,” at which point Carballo decided to end the massage.
Lee complained that the massage session was supposed to last two hours, the lawsuit says, and Carballo agreed to charge for only an hour. However, the suit says, the next day Carballo’s employer called her, saying that Lee had relayed an apology and assuring her “that there would be no further incidents.”
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Carballo returned to Lee’s suite to again provide massage therapy, the suit says, but after again massaging his quadriceps, “Plaintiff observed that Lee was once again moaning.” According to the suit, Carballo immediately stopped the massage, and that Lee “stood up from the massage table, completely naked, and became angry with Plaintiff.”
“Plaintiff begged Lee to put on his clothes on and to let her leave, but he became angrier and demanded that she continue the massage,” the suit reads.
Carballo says she agreed to continue the massage for another 10 minutes, this time with a Shiatsu massage performed with her feet, and that, after a few minutes, “Lee grabbed Plaintiff’s foot and moved it against his penis and scrotum.”
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“When Plaintiff freed herself from his grip, she promptly gathered her belongings,” the suit reads.
Alleging assault, battery and other counts, the suit is seeking a judgment “in excess of $50,000, plus an award of punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs as permitted under the statute.”
TheWrap has reached out to Lee’s spokesperson for comment on the suit.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
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