Maria Carballo, a Chicago-based massage therapist, filed a lawsuit on Monday against iconic Marvel Comics editor and former publisher Stan Lee for sexual assault and battery, Page Six reports.
Carballo lawsuit claims Lee, now 95, assaulted her in his room at the Hyatt Regency on April 21-23 2017 while the former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief attended the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.
Page Six reports:
While performing the first massage, Carballo claims Lee, now 95, put his hand on his genitals and began to fondle himself. Later while rubbing his quadriceps, Lee began moaning and groaning. Uncomfortable, Carballo left the massage early.
The masseuse claimed that her employer requested she perform another massage therapy session for Lee. Lee allegedly apologized, so Carballo returned, but her lawsuit states that one hour into the second massage Lee began to moan. Once again feeling uncomfortable, Carballo used her feet to massage him instead of her hands, but he allegedly moved her feet against his genitals. She promptly left.
“For a long time, I was afraid to ask anyone to help me hold Mr. Lee accountable for how he treated me. He is rich and famous. I am not,” Carballo said in a statement. “After seeing other women fight to be treated with dignity and respect, I decided, me too. I am still nervous and afraid, but not as much as I was before because I have other people helping me.”
Last January, Stan Lee was accused of groping by several nurses who cared for him at his Los Angeles home. A representative for Lee blasted the claims.
By press time, Lee, whose wife passed away last July, had not commented publicly about Carballo’s claims.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.