Democrat Candidate Claims ‘Mental Anguish, Trauma’ And ‘Nightmares’ After Unwanted Touch From Masseuse

A Democratic nominee for an Oregon state House seat filed a $450,000 lawsuit against a woman for allegedly touching him sexually at her massage parlor, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).

Woodburn School Board Chair Anthony Medina’s Thursday lawsuit accuses Woodburn Spa owner Fuxiu Zhen of unexpectedly pulling down his underwear and touching his genitals during a February message session, prompting him to immediately tell her “he did not want to be touched in that manner,” the outlet reported. She next “briefly massaged Plaintiff’s feet for 10 seconds and then terminated the massage at roughly 20 minutes at which Medina [promptly] left,” the suit says.

Medina claims “emotional injury and mental anguish, trauma, an inability to form close relationships” and “nightmares” because of Zhen’s actions, which he informed his wife and police about shortly after they occurred, OPB reported. He told the Oregon Capitol Chronicle he had been sexually assaulted at the age of 10.

Medina contends Woodburn Spa is part of a human trafficking and prostitution ring, demanding its shutdown along with two other spas Zhen owns and calling for her to be barred from managing such businesses statewide, according to OPB. He claimed to have first reported Zhen partially out of concern she was a sex trafficking victim, the Oregon Capitol Chronicle reported.

Shortly after Medina complained to police, Woodburn Mayor Eric Swenson spoke with him and subsequently filed his own complaint involving Woodburn Spa in February, OPB reported.

Swenson said he and a worker there engaged in “mutual groping” for several minutes partway into a January session in which he requested “a massage,” but his genitals were not touched, the outlet said. He told the OPB this issue was not a top reason he halted his own state Senate campaign in June, choosing to run for mayoral reelection.

“These businesses are operating with impunity and the government and law enforcement isn’t doing anything about it, so my client is,” Medina’s attorney Sean Ridell told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Police records indicate Zhen and another woman were arrested and ticketed for massage work without Oregon state licensing after Swenson and Medina’s complaints, OPB reported.

The Oregon Capitol Chronicle reported Thursday the spa was still operating. A person who answered the business’ phone number told the DCNF Zhen had sold it.

Swenson did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.