Homewood day spa at center of sex abuse investigation faces more lawsuits

Two additional women have filed lawsuits against a Homewood massage therapist and his former employer, Escape Day Spa, following serious allegations of sexual assault.

Matthew Owen Jones, 44, of Sterrett, faces two counts of first-degree sex abuse stemming from incidents involving two separate victims. While Jones was arrested earlier this month and subsequently released from Jefferson County Jail on a $30,000 bond, the legal fallout continues to mount for the business.

New Litigation Filed

One of the alleged victims initially filed a lawsuit shortly after the arrest, and now two more women have joined the legal action. Birmingham law firm Singleton Schreiber announced the filing of these additional lawsuits on Friday, naming both Jones and Escape Day Spa as defendants. While Jones currently faces criminal charges in one of these new cases, Homewood police are actively investigating allegations regarding the second plaintiff as well as at least one other former client.

“Each of these women went to Escape Day Spa expecting the same thing: a safe, professional massage,” said Blake Milner, senior counsel at Singleton Schreiber. “Instead, they were assaulted by someone the spa knew posed a danger to its customers.”

Details of the Allegations

According to court filings, one of the new plaintiffs reports that on Jan. 6, 2026, she underwent a 90-minute deep tissue massage at the spa’s 100 Broadway St. location. She alleges that Jones subjected her to non-consensual sexual contact during the session, leaving her in a state of shock that prevented her from resisting.

The second woman recounts a visit on June 16, 2026, during which she and her spouse booked a couples massage. She claims that despite her explicit protests and demands for him to stop, Jones continued the assault until the end of the session signaled by a buzzer. When the couple attempted to report the incident to management immediately afterward, they were informed that no managers were on-site.

Questions of Oversight

The new lawsuits allege that Escape Day Spa maintained Jones’ employment despite knowing his massage therapy license had lapsed and being aware of his prior conduct. The complaints include counts of negligence, wantonness, assault, battery, false imprisonment, invasion of privacy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

“Our investigation continues to reveal that Escape Day Spa was made aware on multiple occasions that they employed a dangerous massage therapist,” said Sara Williams, executive partner at Singleton Schreiber. “They failed these survivors when they failed to act and instead continued to expose their clients to Jones.”

Escape Day Spa has previously declined to comment. Jones is scheduled to appear in court next month to face his criminal charges.