Plaintiffs obtain preliminary injunction against massage parlors

Josh Hawley: The preliminary injunction sends a message opposing human trafficking.

The plaintiffs in a lawsuit against several Springfield massage parlors and their operators recently scored a win.

Greene County Judge Michael Cordonnier on Oct. 6 gave a verbal order granting a preliminary injunction blocking six massage parlors from engaging in prostitution. The judge’s order was presented in a news release yesterday from Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley’s office.

In July, Hawley and Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson filed suit following law enforcement officers’ raid of 13 Springfield Asian massage parlor businesses suspected of human trafficking and prostitution.

“This order sends a clear message: human trafficking and those who engage in this crime have no place in Missouri,” Hawley said in the release of the preliminary injunction.

Court records indicate the affected businesses are:
    •    Angel Massage, Star Plaza, 1774 1/2 S. Grant Ave.;
    •    Asian Massage, Northeast Plaza, 2005 E. Kearney St.;
    •    Golden Massage, 4728 S. Campbell Ave, Ste. 112;
    •    Great Spa, 2841 S. Fremont Ave.;
    •    Phoenix Massage, 1261 E. Republic Road; and
    •    Relax Spa Silver Center, 2022 S. Stewart St.

In July, Patterson’s office issued a temporary restraining order against the massage parlors, according to the release.