The lawsuit alleges sexual abuse by the former hotel massage therapist.
Former TNA Knockouts Champion Taryn Terrell is joining a lawsuit against Oscar Ojeda, former lead massage therapist at the Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables, Florida.
Terrell spoke to NBC Miami after joining the suit as three other women are also suing Ojeda for allegedly touching them inappropriately while providing massages. Taryn said this situation occurred in August 2020 while she and her husband were on vacation. She went to get a massage and was alone in the room with Ojeda.
I may be a wrestler. I may be a stunt woman. I may be all of those things, but at the end of the day, I am a human and I deserve the same respect and decency that every other human deserves, and when someone invades your intimate private space, it’s not OK.
I froze in fear. I wish I was one of those people who said I stood up and I said this is not OK, but I was terrified. In the moment that everything happened I was so mad at myself that I couldn’t even say to him to stop doing what he was doing.
This past May, police arrested Ojeda and he was charged with misdemeanor battery on Terrell and Seda Atkins, who was the first individual to come forward about Ojeda’s alleged behavior and actions. The hotel released a statement on the matter:
[Our] top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of all our guests and employees. We were disheartened to learn about this guest’s experience and our former employee’s conduct, the latter of whom is not a part of the Biltmore team. We do not condone this kind of behavior and it is certainly not in any way a representation of the Biltmore and the quality of the services we provide.
The lawsuit notes that people have come forward in the past and told the hotel about Ojeda’s behavior. After Terrell expressed her complaints, she said the hotel offered her a free massage. Ojeda is pleading not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court in December.
