A Park Ridge woman is suing Massage Envy, alleging the company isn't doing enough to protect clients after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by one of their therapists.

There are civil and criminal cases pending in court for December related to the case. Lisa Plourde said she's speaking out on camera and in the courtroom in an effort to prevent what she said happened to her from happening to anyone else.

Plourde is a runner and said she would get massages as part of her recovery. But that ended after what she said was her experience at a Massage Envy location in Park Ridge this past March.

She said it started like a normal massage, but then the touching became inappropriate.

"I think I kinda froze," she said.

According to the lawsuit filed this month, a massage therapist "placed his genitalia on each of her hands for 10 to 15 seconds."

Plourde filed a report with Park Ridge police and a complaint with the business the following day. The therapist was charged with battery following the police investigation.  But police didn't clarify when the therapist wasn't charged with sexual assault, which is what her civil lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit was filed against the therapist, business manager, and Massage Envy.

"Were there policies in place that needed to be followed and, two, if those policies were in place, were they properly enforced?" said attorney Ervin Nevitt.

Nevitt said they're still working to learn more about whether there are any past complaints against the therapist, who he said no longer works at the Park Ridge location. Neither he nor Plourde has heard if the therapist is now working at another location.

Illinois State Rep. Tom Weber first pushed for stricter regulations in the state back in 2023, following a series of CBS News Chicago reports exposing that the state wasn't automatically barring massage license applicants with criminal histories, as well as lapses in communication between the state agencies taking criminal complaints and the agency maintaining those licenses. 

Rep. Weber has no firsthand knowledge of this specific case.

"My goal is to protect women and girls an individuals who go into these settings," he said. "When they go behind a closed door for acupuncture, massage, that they can feel comfortable knowing there's been a thorough background check."

Weber introduced bills years ago that would have ensured the state's licensing office has all records of felony convictions and requires a worker, like a state-licensed massage therapist, to undergo the same checks and reviews that other health care workers, like a certified nursing assistant, would.

It's not immediately clear how those efforts could apply here, without information on any past complaints against this therapist, who does not have a criminal history. But Plourde said she would like to see more oversight from the state regardless.

"I think if there is a standard across the board, statewide, that definitely helps," she said.

CBS News Chicago reached out to Massage Envy's corporate office and the Park Ridge location, but has not yet received a response to our questions or the allegations made in the lawsuit. We also attempted to reach the therapist directly, but were unable to.