SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – State officials have suspended the license of an Oakland County massage therapist accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with two women.
Carl Ellis, of Southfield, was first accused of misconduct in 2012 while working for LaVida Massage in Bloomfield Hills, according to court records.
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Bloomfield Hills incident
On March 3, 2012, a woman had a massage with Ellis at LaVida. During the massage, Ellis began massaging her legs and then moved her underwear to the side, according to officials.
The woman said Ellis began performing oral sex on her, so she told him to leave, authorities said.
Police said the woman told the front desk that there was an issue and called the Bloomfield Hills Police Department.
Officers investigated the incident, but no charges were filed, according to police.
Ellis was fired from LaVida due to the alleged incident, court records show.
Birmingham incident
Another woman said she received a massage from Ellis on June 19, 2017, at Massage Envy in Birmingham.
During the massage, Ellis started to massage the woman's inner thighs, letting his fingers brush against her inappropriately, according to court records.
She said Ellis was pressing his groin against her body, officials said.
Ellis asked her to stand up and turn over on her back, holding up a towel in the way, the woman said. She believes he looked over the towel in order to see her naked, according to court records.
When the woman laid back on the table, Ellis started to massage her neck and her breasts, court records show. He continued to grope her breasts even though there was no therapeutic reason to do so, according to authorities.
Ellis also massaged between the woman's legs, so she asked him to stop, court records show.
License suspended
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs announced Thursday that Ellis' license has been suspended due to the allegations.
"This case was handled collaboratively by LARA and the Department of the Attorney General and driven by consumer complaints against the licensee," LARA Director Orlene Hawks said. "We rely on consumer complaints to launch investigations into licensed professionals who do not align with the highest standards of conduct of their profession."
"I am grateful for the continued partnership between our office and LARA that allows us to take swift and decisive actions to protect the public from potential harm," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. "We take all allegations of inappropriate sexual contact seriously and will work to ensure those who abuse their powers as licensed professionals are held accountable."