Crime & Safety

Danford D. Grant, Attorney Accused in Massage Therapy Rapes, Pleads Not Guilty

Bail remained at $3 million for Seattle attorney Danford D. Grant, who pleaded not guilty to raping several massage therapists--including last month's attack of a Bellevue massage therapist and the rape of a Shoreline massage therapist at her home.

Seattle attorney Danford D. Grant pleaded not guilty to raping three massage therapists, including an attack of a Bellevue massage therapist and the rape of a Shoreline massage therapist at her home.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office brought charges of three counts of first-degree rape, one count of second-degree rape, one count of attempted second-degree rape and one count of first-degree burglary. Grant plead not guilty to all the charges in King County Superior Court Judge Mary Yu's courtroom.

Yu ordered the media to refrain from taking photos of Grant's face in the courtroom.

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Bail remained at $3 million Wednesday, and the Grant's next court appearance was scheduled for Oct. 24. 

Grant, 47, is a partner in the Bailey Grant Onsager law firm in Seattle. According to his bio on the website, Grant focuses on employment and business litigation and has represented business and public groups including the Olympic Pipe Line Company, MEDNAX Services, Pediatrix Medical Group, American Anesthesiology, Columbia Physical Therapy, Green River Community College.

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According to police reports, Grant was arrested last month at the Carnation Massage Clinic, at 602 N.W. 85th St. in Seattle. Witnesses told investigators that he raped one of the massage therapists at knifepoint, and employees tried to detain him as they called police. Grant tried to run, but police caught him after a chase, reports said. The therapist told police that Grant had sexually assaulted her previously at the business.

That incident came less than a month after an Aug. 28 incident, in which a Bellevue massage therapist told police she was sexually assaulted at knifepoint, Bellevue police reported.

The Bellevue woman, 45, told police that the suspect scheduled a massage at the business in the 15200 block of N.E. 20th St. and started to make sexual advances toward her during the appointment.

According to the police department, when the woman refused his offer, he grew angry, threatened her with a pocket knife and proceeded to sexually assault her. The victim told police she recognized him as being a past client of the business, but she didn't know his name, police said. He had come to the business using multiple different names, according to the court documents.

The massage therapist said that another massage therapist had described to her a similar attack by someone of a similar description, according to court documents.

Grant is a longtime attorney who has practiced in the Seattle area, including getting a master of laws degree from the University of Washington in 1996 an focusing on employment litigation in the Seattle City Attorney's Office from 1996 to 2000, according to his Linked In profile. Grant became one of the named shareholders of Bailey Grant Onsager earlier this year, according to the law firm's website.

Grant's focus is on employment and business litigation, including discrimination, business torts, noncompete agreements, and business ownership disputes.


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