Client of troubled Kansas City spa obtains settlement after chain of sexual assaults

A confidential plaintiff has settled for $1,000,000. This case is the latest in a string of lawsuits against a troubled, Kansas City spa where an unlicensed masseuse repeatedly sexually assaulted clients.

Wes Shumate & Kevin Buchanan of Davis, Bethune & Jones in Kansas City represented the anonymous plaintiffs in the lawsuits. Shumate said there have been five total settlements so far.

The defendant in the suits is Rainforest Massage and Spa, also known as Fusion Spa as well as Kemin Geng and Gui Jiang.

In each of the cases, Gui Jiang — who is not licensed to perform massages — would massage the women and eventually touch them inappropriately, sexually assaulting them during the course of the massage.

The owner of the spa, Kemin Geng, allegedly knew Jiang did not have a license and that prior customers had complained about Jiang’s inappropriate touching, Missouri Lawyers Media previously reported.

The assaults happened over a period of 18 to 20 months, Shumate said.

Importantly in these cases, Shumate said he ensured his clients filed claims with the defendant’s insurance for the unlicensed practice of massage and not for sexual assault.

“Many times, there are exclusions in insurance policies for sexual assaults,” he said. “The claims we made were less about the actual assault or intent of the perpetrator and more about the lack of care exercised by the facility in letting someone who, one, had a history of doing these things, and two, did not have proper licensure to practice.”

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Amount of verdict, judgment or settlement: $1,000,000

Type of action: Settlement/Other personal injury

Venue: Jackson County Circuit Court

Case Number/Date: Not filed/02/21/2025

Injuries: Emotional, psychological

Insurer: Great American Insurance Group

Caption: Confidential v. Rainforest Massage and Spa, LLC d/b/a Fusion Spa; Kemin Geng; Gui Jiang.

Plaintiffs’ Attorneys: Wes Shumate & Kevin Buchanan of Davis, Bethune & Jones in Kansas City.

Defendants’ Attorneys: N/A