The strange saga of Stan Lee has added a new chapter, and unfortunately, it’s another accusation of sexual misconduct against the Marvel Comics icon.
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The Blast is running a report which states that massage therapist Maria Carballo has filed a suit against both Lee and his assistant Mac Anderson, claiming that she was the victim of sexual misconduct while performing her services for Lee in Hyatt Regency hotel room in Chicago over the weekend.
According to the report, Carballo was called to perform a massage in Lee’s hotel room, when the veteran comic book creator allegedly “began to fondle himself while lying face down and later, while she was massaging his quadriceps, she says Lee began to moan and groan.”
It’s stated that, at that point, Carballo ended the massage early and left the room, but was called to return there. She obliged, and it’s stated that the following incident unfolded:
“She says an hour into the massage, Lee began moaning again. She says she immediately stopped the massage and asked Lee to put his clothes back on so she could get her things and leave.
She claims Lee stood up from the table, completely naked, and became angry. Fearing she might get fired, she agreed to continue the massage for another 10 minutes.
At that point, Carballo says she performed a Shiatsu massage using her feet instead of her hands, creating more distance between herself and Lee. After a few minutes, she claims Lee grabbed her foot ‘and moved it against his penis and scrotum.’
She says she immediately ended the massage, got her $240 in cash from Lee for the massage, and immediately left. As she was trying to leave, she says Lee’s assistant handed her a wad of cash as a tip. She believed he did so because he knew of Lee’s inappropriate behavior.”
This is all alleged right now, but it does bear a disturbing similarity to some previous allegations leveled against Lee late last year. Those reports stemmed from workers at an in-house nursing service who were working out of Lee’s West Hollywood home. The range of accusations included that Lee demanded oral sex, groped nurses, and exposed himself and walked around naked. When the accusation came out, Lee’s legal team sent a cease and desist letter to silence them. At the time, Lee’s lawyer Tom Lallas stated the following:
“Mr. Lee categorically denies these false and despicable allegations and he fully intends to fight to protect his stellar good name and impeccable character.
We are not aware of anyone filing a civil action, or reporting these issues to the police, which for any genuine claim would be the more appropriate way for it to be handled.
Instead, Mr. Lee has received demands to pay money and threats that if he does not do so, the accuser will go to the media.
Mr Lee will not be extorted or blackmailed, and will pay no money to anyone because he has done absolutely nothing wrong.”
It will be interesting to see the response to these new allegations. Stay tuned.
Avengers: Infinity War arrives on April 27th, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers film on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.