Bye Bye Scores NYC..

[kikiwiki]

The Shit is really hitting the fan for them. I'll forever have to thank Scores NYC for the stripper I have become today. Thanks!

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04242008...res_107854.htm

[iseestars]

Aw, that sucks. I've always wanted to visit that club.

[Eric Stoner]

Scores is toast. They'll either sell ( Rick's ? ) or try to make it as nude juice bars.

[VeraLynn]

"April 24, 2008 -- Thanks for the mammaries!

State Liquor Authority officials plan to put out of business not only Scores West, but also Scores on the East Side, by yanking the liquor licenses for the jiggle joints, officials said yesterday. "

Jiggle Joints?! LOL

[Sophia_Starina]

Scores is toast. They'll either sell ( Rick's ? ) or try to make it as nude juice bars.

I wanna work at a nude juice joint. NYC is severely lacking in the nekkid department. I want to show NYC my PiNK!!!!

[Gwennnnnn]

I agree Sophia... I used to work at nude clubs in Florida, and I miss it... I'd love to dance nude in NYC..

[love_to_entertain]

The Shit is really hitting the fan for them. I'll forever have to thank Scores NYC for the stripper I have become today. Thanks!

I'm not surprised that there was prostitution going on with the $300 house fee. Or is that the same club? One club in NYC had a $300 house fee and then hired a ton of girls. How else are they supposed to make any money? I'm personally glad any club that promotes prostitution gets shut down. We're supposed to be strippers. Maybe this is the wrong club though.

[Glamazon]

eh, nevermind.

[sol_de_pr2]

I would certainly LOVE to do something completely different on my next visit to NYC (even if it means lying to my siblings about my whereabouts ) Go nude clubs!

[Melonie]

This has been brewing (no pun intended) for years, thanks to everything from tax evasion charges to high profile customer credit card ripoffs to keeping NYC tied up in appeals court for a decade !

Nude clubs with strict enforcement against prostitution in the club are NOT going to cut it in Manhattan. The very upscale customer demographic wants EVERYTHING their way, thus denying them alcohol as well as 'extras' simply won't be a viable business model. Nude clubs have been tried in Manhattan on and off in the past, and they only seem to attract penny pinching perverts !

I would speculate that the very upscale customers are going to look to a different business model in order to still get EVERYTHING their way ... probably upscale escort agencies, private party venues, party boats etc. ... or simply crossing the Hudson river into North Jersey.

Again this is an ideal opportunity for starting / promoting an upscale club located at the first NJ exit after going through the Lincoln Tunnel !


On a side note, it is highly probable that Scores will wind up going bankrupt over this. If / when that happens, there will be a court ordered 'forensic accounting' ... an accounting which will also dig into club records concering payouts to dancers.

[rusdancer]

Wow,so it finally happened.....Melonie's right about the nude clubs in NYC.

[Sophia_Starina]

Again this is an ideal opportunity for starting / promoting an upscale club located at the first NJ exit after going through the Lincoln Tunnel !

Would Squeeze Lounge in Weehawken apply to that model?

[Melonie]

^^^ Squeeze has an ideal location. However, the owners would need some major remodeling to successfully masquerade as a 'super upscale' club !

[Richard_Head]

Howard Stern is probably not taking this news well .

[Sophia_Starina]

Howard Stern is probably not taking this news well .

Why would he care? His wife is hot!

[Ebony]

^^^ Squeeze has an ideal location. However, the owners would need some major remodeling to successfully masquerade as a 'super upscale' club !

I worked at Squeeze when they first opened. They did alot of advertising and got alot of girls from many clubs to check the place out. It has the upscale vibe. Everything in the clubs is marble and wood paneled. All the girls had to wear gowns and many of them worked in the better NYC and NJ clubs (Lace, Scores, Delilahs PC,Privelege, etc) They have a valet, they have bouncers in tuxedos. Only bad thing is it looks like they stopped advertising. They need to advertise in NY AND NJ. Getting upscale clientele was a big problem there. I remember working there and customers would complain about the dress code and price of the VIP.

NJ is funny like that. I KNOW for a fact there are extremely wealthy Wall Street guys, hedge fund managers and musicians/athlethes etc living in Bergen County. Problem is, they rather go to SC's in NYC. They believe the quality in NYC is better plus they get to see the girls topless. When Lace in Wayne was in their hayday, it attracted many of these wealthy men. They just fell off one day and no club in NJ in my opinion has been able to fill that void.

[Eric Stoner]

This has been brewing (no pun intended) for years, thanks to everything from tax evasion charges to high profile customer credit card ripoffs to keeping NYC tied up in appeals court for a decade !

Nude clubs with strict enforcement against prostitution in the club are NOT going to cut it in Manhattan. The very upscale customer demographic wants EVERYTHING their way, thus denying them alcohol as well as 'extras' simply won't be a viable business model. Nude clubs have been tried in Manhattan on and off in the past, and they only seem to attract penny pinching perverts !

I would speculate that the very upscale customers are going to look to a different business model in order to still get EVERYTHING their way ... probably upscale escort agencies, private party venues, party boats etc. ... or simply crossing the Hudson river into North Jersey.

Again this is an ideal opportunity for starting / promoting an upscale club located at the first NJ exit after going through the Lincoln Tunnel !


On a side note, it is highly probable that Scores will wind up going bankrupt over this. If / when that happens, there will be a court ordered 'forensic accounting' ... an accounting which will also dig into club records concering payouts to dancers.

They already are in Bankruptcy. Probably as a stalling tactic; Scores jumped into Chapter 11 and tried to get the Bankruptcy Judge to issue a stay on all proceedings including revocation of their Liquor License., He initially did but then he vacated his own order and the Scores West License was confiscated.

[Eric Stoner]

Howard Stern is probably not taking this news well .

Howard followed Lonny over to Rick's.

[ihearthepole]

NOOOOOOOO Don't tell me this! I actually look up to some of those girls that work/worked there! I don't dare set foot in the one in Baltimore after the shit I've heard. ICK

[newsyoucanuse]

scores just filed a lawsuit citing corrupt police

the cop who shot shawn bell (undercover mike) is one of those involved

i think they will be getting a stay

i have a copy of their complaint


date 05-01-2008

lawsuit filed against the CITY OF NEW YORK and the NEW YORK STATE LIQUOR AUTHORITY

The lawsuit cites police corruption and abuse of power at popular new york gentlemans club Scores West

The undercover policemen (Mike Oliver) are the same ones involved with the shooting death of an unarmed black man outside another new york gentlemans club (club kahlua)


enclosed is a copy of the lawsuit


UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
----------------------------------------------------------x

333 EAST 60TH STREET, INC., d/b/a
Scores East,

Plaintiff, 08 Civ. ( )

-against-

NEW YORK STATE LIQUOR AUTHORITY, COMPLAINT
DANIEL B. BOYLE, individually,
LAWRENCE J. GEDDA, individually,
NOREEN HEALEY, individually, and the
CITY OF NEW YORK,
Jury Trial Demanded
Defendants.

----------------------------------------------------------x

Plaintiff 333 EAST 60TH STREET, INC, d/b/a Scores East, by its attorneys Lovett & Gould, LLP, for its complaint respectfully states:



NATURE OF THE ACTION

1. This is an action for permanent injunctive relief with respect to on-going violations of Plaintiff’s rights as guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, 42 U.S.C. §1983.



JURISDICTION

2. The Court’s jurisdiction is invoked pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §1331, 1343.







THE PARTIES

3. Plaintiff 333 EAST 60TH STREET INC d/b/a “Scores East” (hereinafter “Scores East”) is a New York domestic business corporation with offices for the conduct of business situated at 333 East 60th Street, New York, New York. At that premises Scores East operates a restaurant and gentlemen’s club featuring, by way of First Amendment protected expressive activity, topless dancers. The principals of Scores East are also the principals of Go West Entertainment, Inc., a separate New York domestic corporation which for years has operated Scores West, a gentlemen’s club featuring the same First Amendment expressive entertainment at premises known as

533-535 West 27th Street, New York, New York.

4. Defendant NEW YORK STATE LIQUOR AUTHORITY (hereinafter “SLA”), which is sued only for prospective injunctive relief, is an agency of the State of New York with authority over the issuance/revocation/suspension of liquor licenses in premises such as Scores East and Scores West. Defendants DANIEL B. BOYLE, LAWRENCE J. GEDDA, AND NOREEN HEALEY, each of whom is sued in his/her individual capacities for prospective injunctive relief, are respectively the Chairman of the SLA and two SLA commissioners.

5. Defendant CITY OF NEW YORK (hereinafter “City”) is a municipal corporate subdivision of the State of New York, duly existing by reason of and pursuant to the laws of said State. During the tenure of now-former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani the City publicly took the position that clubs featuring female topless expressive entertainment should prospectively be required to conduct business only on the West side of Manhattan. As a result Scores West was established. Scores East, by reason of its pre-existing business operations, continued doing business on Manhattan’s east side. Thereafter the City and the SLA determined that all clubs in Manhattan featuring such entertainment should be forced to shut down by reason of their First Amendment protected activity.



THE FACTS

6. Commencing during the approximately twelve month period preceding January 24, 2007, corrupt New York City undercover police officers assigned to the Manhattan South Vice Enforcement Division began frequenting Scores West and abusing their authority: i) did not pay otherwise required admission fees; ii) consumed but did not pay for alcoholic beverages; and iii) consumed but did not pay for food.

7. During that same period of time the City determined to implement a

plan, to be carried out by members of its Police Department, calculated to coerce Scores West’s cessation of business because of its First Amendment protected expressive activity.

8. In furtherance of that plan and at the direction of the City’s Police Commissioner dozens of police officers were routinely assigned to 27th and/or 28th Street at Tenth and Eleventh Avenues daily from approximately 11:30 P.M. to 4:00 A.M. for the specific objectives of: i) denying vehicular access to Scores West - - but not other business establishments on those streets; ii) preventing Scores West’s clientele from safely accessing and/or departing the club by motor vehicle (taxi, limousine and/or privately owned automobile); iii) prohibiting Scores West’s female employees from safely accessing the club by motor vehicle and obligating them to park blocks away from the club during nighttime hours; and iv) preventing the owners of Scores West from safely accessing the club by motor vehicle and using on-premises parking facilities - - obligating them instead to park blocks away from the club.

9. Nightclubs in New York County that are otherwise identical to Scores West and/or Scores East, but do not feature female topless dancers, have not been similarly targeted for coerced closure by the City.

10. Nightclubs in New York County that are identically situated to Scores West and/or Scores East, and which present female topless dancing for their clientele, have been identically targeted as Scores West for coerced closure by the City.

11. Because Scores West continued its business operations notwithstanding the City’s actions as set forth in paragraph “8” supra, on or about January 24, 2007, the City and the SLA entered into an agreement to set Scores West up on pretextual charges of prostitution so that the SLA could commence liquor license revocation proceedings to effectuate the Defendants’ agreed-upon objective - - the prohibition of the subject First Amendment expressive activity. In that connection and on that date the City conducted what it claimed to be an undercover police operation at Scores West, made a number of arrests involving minor charges, following which the SLA commenced administrative license revocation proceedings.

12. Prior to the commencement of that proceeding and pursuant to an agreement with the City, the SLA in February 2007 issued an “emergency suspension” of Scores West’s liquor license, intended to chill the principals of Scores West and Score’s East in the exercise of their First Amendment protected, expressive activities.

13. At the commencement of the revocation hearing and pursuant to an agreement with the City, the SLA facilitated and condoned on SLA premises a police riot intended to intimidate the principals of Scores West and Scores East with a view towards chilling their exercise of First Amendment protected conduct both at those establishments and during the administrative hearing process [Goldring v. City of New York, 08 Civ. 3765 (RJS).

14. In March of 2007 pursuant to an agreement with the City, the SLA acting by and through Boyle, Gedda and Healey revoked Scores West’s liquor license, a circumstance intended to terminate in Scores West any future First Amendment expressive entertainment and to chill the principals of Scores East and Scores West in the exercise of their First Amendment right to provide such entertainment.

15. Following the revocation of Scores’ West’s liquor license, representatives of the SLA and the City publicly announced their intention to promptly suspend and/or revoke Scores East’s liquor license, conduct which is imminent and which is motivated by the same objective - - to shut down that business operation because of the First Amendment expressive activities presently on-going at Scores East and because the same expressive activities for years were on-going at Scores West.

16. In that connection, upon issuance of the subject suspension and/or revocation of Scores East’s liquor license the City will take immediate action through its Police Department to enforce the SLA’s order, force the closure of Scores East, and prohibit any future First Amendment protected expressive behavior at that premises.





AS AND FOR A FIRST CLAIM

17. Repeats and realleges as if fully set forth the allegations of fact contained in paragraphs “1” to “16”, inclusive.

17. Under the premises Defendants’ conduct is violative of Scores East’s First Amendment rights and should be permanently enjoined, 42 U.S.C. §1983.

WHEREFORE a judgment permanently enjoining the Defendants from revoking and/or suspending Scores East’s liquor license and/or otherwise chilling it in the exercise of its First Amendment protected rights, should be granted along with costs, reasonable

attorney’s fees and such other and further relief as to the Court seems just and proper.

Dated: White Plains, N.Y.
May 1, 2008


LOVETT & GOULD, LLP
By:___________________
Jonathan Lovett (4854)
Attorneys for Plaintiff
222 Bloomingdale Road
White Plains, N.Y. 10605
914-428-8401

[Melonie]

^^^ my guess is that this lawsuit 'ain't gonna work' on first amendment grounds. There have been too many specific legal precedents in this area including SCJ Sandra Day O'Connor's infamous 'the same erotic message can be sent while wearing a bikini' opinion. If the attorneys push the unequal treatment angle there is a greater chance of success, but also a greater risk that NYC will decide to 'equalize' the situation by hassling other clubs in a similar manner !

[Eric Stoner]

Normally I'd agree with you BUT in the current climate after the acquittal of the "Bell" Cops including Oliver there's a slim chance that Scores might be able to make a bit of hay IF and only IF they can get it to a jury. What I don't understand is why they brought A. A federal case and B. brought it in White Plains.

[Makenzie]

This doesn't surprise me, based on a conversation I had with a couple that took me to VIP in Vegas last week. Apparently, they were allowed to do anything they wanted with the dancers there.....after that curtain was closed, it was anything goes.... (So you can imagine the amount of begging they did when I insisted that there was no way I was going to do that in my club)

[AkashaM]

wow.

[mysteryman]

Scores West will have its day in court. Most likely they will win due to several factors which were mentioned in the laundry list posted above.