Fort Worth massage therapist accused of sexually assaulting woman at Clearfork spa
A Fort Worth massage therapist is accused of sexually assaulting a female client during a spa visit this summer.
The client has filed a lawsuit alleging that Milk + Honey Spa at The Shops at Clearfork should be held accountable for hiring someone with previous criminal charges.
The woman visited the spa in June to celebrate her birthday. She told massage therapist Jackie R. Ricks, 32, that she had been experiencing shoulder pain, the suit says. Instead of massaging her shoulders, Ricks focused on the woman’s lower body and raped her, according to the lawsuit. Ricks denies that the contact was non-consensual, his lawyers said Tuesday.
When the woman left the massage room, she told a friend in the waiting room what had happened, the suit says. They called police. While they talked with officers, Ricks found the woman’s cell phone number online and sent her a text message admitting to what happened, according to the lawsuit.
Ricks, of Benbrook, was charged that day with sexual assault. He was indicted by a grand jury on Aug. 1, according to Tarrant County court records. He remains free on bond.
State records show Ricks has been licensed as a massage therapist since 2012; his license is set to expire Aug. 31.
Fort Worth police said they aren’t aware of any other accusers, and this is the only sexual assault that Ricks is being investigated for.
His attorneys, Christy Jack and Letty Martinez, said in a statement that the lawsuit is “nothing but a money grab.”
“The accuser wasted no time filing a civil suit demanding more than one million dollars,” they said in a joint email. “Our client NEVER sexually assaulted the accuser. Our client fully cooperated with the police throughout the investigation because he has nothing to hide. The accuser, on the other hand, has more than one million reasons to say this contact was without her consent. We welcome the opportunity to cross examine her claim of so-called ‘nonconsensual’ contact.”
A lawsuit was filed against Milk + Honey Spa on Aug. 17, claiming the business was negligent on many accounts, from hiring Ricks despite his criminal history to not training him properly.
A representative of Milk + Honey Spa could not be reached immediately Monday.
The majority of Ricks’ past arrests are misdemeanor charges stemming from driving violations and marijuana possession, records show. He was convicted of credit card abuse. He was charged with assault in 2012, but state records don’t reflect the outcome of that case.
Milk + Honey opened its Fort Worth location in 2019. It has four locations in Austin, one in Houston, two in Los Angeles and one in Chicago. Its website lists three other locations coming soon, including one in Dallas’ University Park.
Wade A. Barrow and Koy Killen, the Fort Worth attorneys who represent the woman, said in a statement that women are especially vulnerable in a spa setting.
“That is why it is imperative for companies like Milk + Honey to ensure that their hiring criteria, employee training, and supervision practices meet the highest standards for the protection of their customers,” the emailed statement said. “It is clear that Jackie Ricks never should have been employed in a position that placed him alone with women. In doing so, Milk + Honey prioritized profit over women’s safety. This lawsuit was filed to change the corporate culture at Milk + Honey and other companies like it, and to seek justice for our client.”
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 11:36 AM.
