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Suit Accuses Bowlmor Lanes in Union Square of Racial Discrimination

By Ben Fractenberg | August 17, 2010 9:57am
Five former employees accused Bowlmor Lanes of discrimination.
Five former employees accused Bowlmor Lanes of discrimination.
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Will Ragozzino/Getty Images

By Ben Fractenberg

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

UNION SQUARE — Trendy Union Square nightspot Bowlmor Lanes has been accused of discriminating against Hispanic and black patrons, several outlets reported Tuesday.

A lawsuit file by five former workers claims the upscale bowling alley, at Broadway and 13th Street, screens patrons who want to book lanes by searching their profiles on Facebook and MySpace. Minorities and potential patrons who wear baggy jeans, baseball caps and sports jerseys are kept out of the bowling alley, according to the suit.

The former workers also allege that Bowlmor's parent company Strike Holding's CEO Tom Shannon held meetings to figure out ways to "weed out patrons who were deemed racially problematic," the New York Post reported the Manhattan Supreme Court filing as stating.

The former employees are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

Shannon’s lawyer, Mercedes Colwin, denied the claims saying the accusations are a "nuisance suit," The Post reported.