DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Two women say they have accountability after they were awarded $13 million in a civil case against a spa and its owner. They say the owner hired an unlicensed therapist who assaulted them.
“They were looking for tranquility and came out with trauma,” said Mawuli Davis who is representing two Atlanta women, who he said have been searching for justice since they came to the Ponce Feet Spa in January of 2021.
And now they have some type of accountability.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“For one of our clients at the end of the massage he tried to gain access to areas that he should not have while using his hands,” said Chrisna Jones who also represents the two women. Jones said a second woman had the same thing happen to her the following day in 2021 at the hands of the same worker. Both women filed police reports, but there were never any criminal charges.
“If he had been arrested prosecuted he would never be in another massage room with another woman,” said Jones.
“Sadly 13 months later this same perpetrator was arrested in DeKalb County and prosecuted for doing the same thing during what was supposed to be spa services,” said Davis.
Iben Franklin Hernandez Bartolon was charged with sexual battery in DeKalb County. But he ended up taking a plea deal for disorderly conduct.
While there were no criminal charges after the allegations at Ponce Feet Spa, attorneys for the two women took the owner to court. And they won a $13 million civil judgement against the spa and its owner.
“She admitted that when she hired him she knew he was unlicensed. She knew he was untrained and she did it anyway because she needed more help,” said Jones about the spa owner. “It was about profit over people. It was about profit over safety.”
The Georgia Secretary of State’s office confirmed that the Georgia Board of Massage therapy has received a complaint and there is now an open investigation.
Attorneys for the two women believe there could be other victims out there, who haven’t come forward.
“We think there are other women that could be out there who second guess themselves who decided I’ll never go back there again but they were violated,” said Davis. “We think that they’re out there. Our hope is that they will come forward and they will seek to prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
Attorneys for the business owner told Channel 2, they “respectfully disagree with the jury and are exploring their options for appeal.”
TRENDING STORIES:
- 2 men now dead after shooting at Atlanta park during fraternity event
- What new Georgia laws take effect July 1?
- North Korean agents steal nearly $1 million in cryptocurrency from Buckhead business: FBI
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
