NYC woman sues at-home massage app Soothe claiming male therapist raped her

A New York City woman has sued the at-home massage service app Soothe, claiming one of its therapists raped her at home after being hired by her husband for a Valentine’s Day treat. 

The woman is not named in her lawsuit against the California-based start-up, filed yesterday in Brooklyn’s Supreme Court. 

She claims the man – who used the fake name of Hernando Giraldo – raped her in her Brooklyn home, and that he had a past arrest on his record for sexual assaulting a different Soothe customer. 

Now, the woman is suing the app. She claimed on Tuesday through a video played at a press conference that she now wakes up in the middle of the night, fearing another attack. 

The woman is not named in her lawsuit against the California-based start-up, filed yesterday in Brooklyn’s Supreme Court. In a pre-recorded statement obtained by DailyMail.com, she recounted how he raped her while she was at her ‘most vulnerable’ 

The lawsuit filed against Soothe in Brooklyn’s Supreme Court on Monday 

The woman’s husband was out-of-town when he ordered the massage for her on February 14, 2022. 

She claims that the therapist, using the fake name, arrived then promptly attacked her. He fled and is still at large. 

She reported the assault to police immediately and was then told that the man – whose real name is not known – was previously reported by a different Soothe customer over similar allegations. 

The details of that incident remain unclear. 

‘While alone in my home and most vulnerable, with a considerably larger man, he abused that power and raped me. I’ve been traumatized by this event.

Soothe, a California-based start-up, has not commented on the allegations 

‘He knows where I live.. I live in fear of this monster returning to my home.

‘I’ve entered therapy and wake up a million times at night. Does he have a criminal record? Does he have a mental illness? Is he incredibly violent? Does he own a gun? 

‘I don’t know. Does Soothe know?’ the woman said in a saddening video-recorded statement obtained by DailyMail.com where her identity is obscured. 

‘This fear is so strong that I’ve seriously considered moving, upending my life. just to flee the grasp of this predator who Soothe sent to my doorstep. Embarrassed and extremely upset, my husband and I contacted Soothe about the incident. 

‘Soothe referred us to their tryst and safety team, didn’t contact me or my husband for almost a full week and only after we contacted the CEO on LinkedIn.

‘They provided us with a fake name. This has shocked me to the core…I fear not only for myself but for others who may be victim to this individual.’ 

Soothe did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s inquiries about the multiple allegations on Tuesday afternoon.   

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