Family files lawsuit after man installing carpet in home sexually assaults 8-year-old girl

CASS COUNTY, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - A family is suing a furniture store after a man installing carpet in their home sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl.

Enrique L. Martinez, 63, pleaded guilty to two counts of statutory sodomy involving a child under the age of 12. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said it was called to a home on June 26, 2025, on a report of a child sex crime. Officials said two adults reported their child had been sexually assaulted.

Authorities said Martinez had been part of a crew working on carpeting in the home. He got the child alone and committed the assault. Martinez was arrested at the scene.

According to the lawsuit, the child’s family purchased new carpet from Nebraska Furniture Mart in June 2025. The lawsuit alleges the family was led to believe the carpet would be installed by trained members of the store’s service team, not a third-party contractor. However, the furniture store contracted Tapia Flooring for the work. Pedro Tapia, sole proprietor of the flooring company, is also included in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit states that if Nebraska Furniture Mart had performed an adequate background check on Martinez, it would have found that he was using someone else’s Social Security number and was not legally authorized to work in the U.S.

The lawsuit also alleges that after Nebraska Furniture Mart was made aware of the allegations, the company refused to complete the carpet installation. The family also said Nebraska Furniture Mart told them they were no longer welcome to shop at the store.

Nebraska Furniture Mart denies the allegations.

“Our hearts go out to the victim and their family. We share the sadness and shock at the details that resulted in the conviction of a third-party contractor’s helper,” Nebraska Furniture Mart Kansas City store director Nastasia Williams said in part. “The allegations made against NFM are not true. Out of respect for the privacy of those involved and because this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot share any additional information.”

The lawsuit alleges the child and her family continue to suffer emotional and psychological injury.