Cyril Willemin Charged With Sexual Abuse at Chicago Sport Massage

Personal Injury - May 30, 2025

Cyril Willemin, Massage Therapist at Chicago Sport Massage, Arrested on Sexual Assault and Abuse Charges

Cyril Willemin Charged With Sexual Abuse at Chicago Sport Massage

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (May 20, 2025) – A massage therapist at Chicago Sport Massage identified as Cyril Willemin was charged with sexually abusing clients.

Cook County officials are saying that the allegations involve at least three women and date back to 2016. The women are claiming that Cyril Willemin touched them in inappropriate areas.

One of the victims says that he forced her to touch him. Cyril Willemin is expected to appear back in court later this month.

A full investigation remains ongoing at this time.

Liability for Sexual Abuse Involving Massage Therapists

A number of people have been sexually abused during the course of massage therapy. According to the Utah Department of Commerce, “While the vast majority of massage therapists do not cause sexual harm to clients, massage has the highest volume of sexual misconduct complaints among DOPL-regulated professions. Between one-third to one-half of the malpractice claims nationally across a ten-year span resulted from sexual misconduct.” Massage therapy centers should take a number of actions to prevent sexual misconduct.

  • Rigorous Hiring and Screening: Massage centers should ensure that all staff and therapists pass a rigorous background check.
  • Clear Policies: Massage centers should develop and enforce a professional code of ethics that identifies clear boundaries.
  • Feedback System: Clients should be given the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback. Serious violations are typically followed by smaller infractions that can be identified and addressed.

Massage therapy centers have a legal obligation to protect clients from reasonably foreseeable sources of harm. This includes protecting clients from sexual abuse and other forms of misconduct. If a massage therapy center knew or should’ve known that one of their employees posed a risk of harm and failed to take action, this could form the basis of a negligence claim. A number of lawsuits have been filed by people sexually assaulted by massage therapists.

Consider, for example, Schirtzinger v. Massage Envy. A 51-year-old Ironman triathlete and mother was allegedly sexually assaulted by a massage therapist who inappropriately touched her. An investigation into the defendant revealed that he had a prior felony conviction and was previously accused of a sex crime in 2006. Attorneys for the plaintiff allege that the assailant was negligently hired and supervised. Several elements must be demonstrated in any negligent hiring and supervision claim.

  • The employer hired or retained the employee.
  • The employee was unfit or dangerous for their position.
  • The employer knew (or should have known) about the unfit nature of their employee.
  • The employee caused harm to the plaintiff.
  • The employee’s negligence was a substantial factor in causing the harm.

Sexual abuse in a massage setting is often highly preventable. By the time any massage therapy employee is arrested for abuse, there were often many red flags. Sadly, companies will often do everything in their power to deny responsibility if one of their employees engages in misconduct. It is important that abuse victims understand that they do have legal rights. They are able to seek some measures of accountability through a civil claim.

Investigating Chicago Sexual Abuse Claims

We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates were deeply concerned to hear about the allegations against Cyril Willemin. Any person who may have more information should reach out to the authorities. There needs to be a thorough investigation into the scope and scale of all of the misconduct. It is our sincere hope that steps are taken to prevent similar incidents down the road.

Have you or someone that you care about been sexually abused by a massage therapist? You may have legal recourse. Our team of personal injury attorneys is here to assist you in any way that we can. We are committed to helping survivors and holding businesses accountable for their wrongful conduct. Whether you just have legal questions or are thinking about hiring an attorney, we are here to serve your needs. You can contact us anytime at (312) 564-4256.