Stan Lee and his former assistant Max Anderson are being sued by massage therapist Maria Carballo, who alleges that Lee engaged in inappropriate behavior on two separate occasions last year. Carballo claims that the first incident occurred when she went to his room at the Hyatt Regency in late April for the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo.
The suit, which was filed on Monday, alleges that Lee started moaning after he began “fondling himself while face down on the table.” Carballo claims she left immediately afterwards, but returned the following day because she was “fearful of losing her job,” according to the New York Daily News.
During her second visit to Lee’s room, he allegedly “took her foot and moved it against his genitals.” Carballo was already using her feet to perform a Shiatsu massage out of concern over his previous alleged advances. Carballo claims she again left immediately, but not before receiving $240 from Lee. She also alleges that Anderson tried offering her more money as a tip in an attempt to remedy any potential sexual misconduct allegations down the road.
Carballo is reportedly looking for $50,000 in damages, and points to the #MeToo movement for serving as her inspiration to speak out. Lee’s partner Keya Morgan fired back at Carballo’s accusations, telling TMZ that they are entirely false. “I have no idea what the convict Max Anderson did, but Stan Lee is 95 years old, completely harmless, and is 100% innocent, and denies any such false accusations,” Morgan said.
