What makes these claims different
Massage therapists in Illinois are licensed by the state, which means a regulator holds a complaint and discipline file separate from anything the business itself kept. That is often the fastest route to establishing that a practitioner had been complained about before.
Assault during treatment happens in a setting where undressing and physical contact are expected, which is exactly what makes people doubt themselves afterwards. Where the business is a franchise, both the local operator and the franchisor may be in frame, particularly where the franchisor set the hiring and safety standards the operator was supposed to follow.
Who the claim is brought against
A claim of this kind is usually brought against the business or franchise, rather than only against the
individual. The theory that most often carries it is negligent hiring, though in practice
several run together, and which one fits is a question about your facts rather than a category.
The responsible body here is usually a private organisation, so the Tort Immunity rules that govern claims against Illinois public bodies do not apply in the same way. The liability questions are the ordinary institutional ones.
Questions people ask
Do I need to have reported it?
No. A civil claim requires no police report, no charge and no conviction. Most of the people we speak to never reported.
Does someone have to have been convicted?
No. A civil case uses a lower standard of proof than a criminal one and is usually brought against the institution rather than the individual.
It was a long time ago.
That is the norm in this work rather than the exception. What governs it is your age at the time, who was responsible and the particular facts.