'He violated me': Woman testifies at Regina chiropractor's sexual assault trial

WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it.

A woman told a jury Tuesday that a Regina chiropractor reached into her bra and grabbed her breast without her consent during an appointment.

The 47-year-old woman, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, testified she went to see chiropractor Ruben Manz in 2011 to treat pain in her neck, shoulders, lower back and hips.

Manz is accused of sexually assaulting seven women over 10 years while they were under his care.

The complainant said she was sitting on an exam table when Manz placed a hand on her shoulder, pulled her head to one side and put a hand in her shirt.

He asked if she was OK, she said, and she replied yes but was hesitant.

She told the trial that Manz then moved his hand into her bra and pulled her breast.

"He said, 'Just relax. It's part of the treatment,' And I said, 'The hell it is,"' the woman testified. "I got up, grabbed my stuff and left the room."

The woman told the jury what happened to her was wrong and no other chiropractor had touched her that way.

She stopped seeing Manz immediately, she said. "I didn't trust him. He violated me."

'I was mad'

The woman said she reported Manz to a chiropractors' association the next day. In 2021, after reading a news report about criminal charges against Manz, she went to police.

"He did this to somebody else, so I was mad," she said.

She said she regularly seeks treatment for muscle strain and adjustments to her shoulders, hips and spine.

"I have to work very hard to find the strength to trust people to put their hands on me," she added.

Defence lawyer Kathy Hodgson-Smith questioned the complainant about what she remembered, including how many appointments she had with Manz, the clothes she was wearing and how many people she told about her allegation.

The woman said she couldn't remember exactly how many times she saw Manz. She recalled wearing a supportive bra meant to prevent pressure to her chest.

She said she's been open about sharing what happened with others if the topic of bad experiences comes up.

"I remember that one incident with him like it was yesterday," the woman testified. "I remembered it this whole time — not because it came up in a news report or because I talked about it.

"Because it wasn't OK. And I haven't had a chiropractor before then or since then do that to me."

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.