MANHATTAN — A Columbia University student out for fun with his friends was roughed up by three men who work security at a Midtown strip club, a new lawsuit charged.
Robert Demartini is suing the owner of Lace Gentlemen's Club, accusing its muscle of throwing him out of the club and punching him in his nose without provocation.
"They broke his nose. They disfigured him," Demartini's lawyer, Carmen S. Giordano, said. "He's required two surgeries thus far. He didn't do anything wrong."
Demartini hit up the topless bar with a couple of friends, including a girlfriend, at 1 a.m. on Oct. 8, 2011, according the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Manhattan Civil Supreme Court.
Giordano said Demartini paid more attention to his lady than the dancers — and that got under management's skin.
"I believe the owners of the club didn't like that," Giordano said. "They wanted him to spend more money because he didn't order a drink. They started harassing him."
Three security guards grabbed Demartini, threw him out of the club and onto his back on the sidewalk, the lawsuit said. They then allegedly punched him in the nose, fracturing it.
"He's missed a lot of time from school as a result of this," Giordano said.
MLB Enterprises Corp. is listed as the owner of Lace. A person who answered the phone at the strip club Wednesday morning said no one was available to comment.
