In what is probably a surprise to nobody, strip clubs and other places with exotic dancers are often owned and/or run by people who are not the most reputable people. Some don’t think that rules or the law should apply to them. We have seen instances of them wrongly classifying employees as independent contractors. They do this to skirt laws around taxes, wages and discrimination. We have seen a lot of tip theft. And worst of all, we have seen them encourage or ignore serious sexual assault and harassment.
When you go to a strip club there are rules. A lot of those rules apply to the patrons. Unfortunately some of these patrons are inebriated or do not see the entertainment as people that they need to respect. This treatment is gross. As a result it is not uncommon for there to be situations where the clients expose themselves, grab body parts that they do not have permission to do so and commit actual assault and battery through acts like biting, choking and hitting.
In our experience, most clubs will not tolerate this bad behavior from average customers (although some do, and of course, that is wrong), but they will look the other way when it comes from VIP’s, regulars, or big spenders. In fact, there have been a lot of reports about very inappropriate and unwanted behavior happening in front of managers and bouncers who do nothing.
When bad behavior is allowed, it tends to get worse and can lead to serious sexual assaults including forcible rape. Being entertained by a dancer is not license to break the law or treat them as less than human. When a customer does this, the customer can be sued directly. When your employer lets it happen, they can also be sued.
It is important to note that even if you are called an independent contractor, you do not lose your rights. It is understood that bouncers and management are there in part to protect the dancers. Their failure to do so, including failure to prevent offenders from being in the club, creates liability on them.
In other words, do not be deterred from bringing a lawsuit. You have rights.
In one recent lawsuit, dancers alleged that while they were told they can not have inappropriate contact with customers, as a matter of practice that is never told to the customers. My guess is that is done to maintain the illusion that these women are interested in them. The practical effect it had was dancers were sexually and physically assaulted. When they complained the customers were allowed to stay and the dancers were fired.
A lawsuit is the only way to hold these clubs accountable. The value of these claims depends on what actually happened and what the evidence shows. One wage lawsuit for misclassification was resolved for $10 million against a well known club. It would not be surprising for a sexual assault case to be worth in the six figures and possibly more depending on how bad it was.
We have handled hundreds of sexual assault and abuse cases in Illinois. The attorneys we recommend have a track record of success and treat these matters with the sensitive nature they deserve. All calls are confidential and all cases are handled on a contingency basis which means there is no fee unless you make a recovery.
If you would like a free consultation with an attorney, please call us any time at 312-346-5320. We handle cases everywhere in Illinois via our state wide network of attorneys.
