NEW YORK CITY — He once claimed a Chelsea nightclub was sexist and agist. Now he says the MTA is taking the public for a ride with it's unlimited MetroCards.
Legal gadfly Roy Den Hollander has filed a lawsuit against the MTA, accusing the state agency of false advertising and shortchanging straphangers who purchase the passes.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan Civil Supreme Court, says that the agency's unlimited cards don't last as long as the MTA claims.
Hollander says that the MTA bills its seven-day MetroCard as good for unlimited subway and bus ride "until midnight, seven days from the day of first use."
Hollander says that, in actuality, when a rider uses the seven-day pass for the first time, it's then good for six days "plus a variable number of hours up until midnight on that sixth day." The lawsuit claims that the 30-day MetroCard is a similar scam, in which it's only good for 29 days and a number of hours up until midnight on the 29th day.
Hollander, who says he filed the lawsuit on behalf of all passengers who buy the unlimited passes, calls the practice short-dating.
"The MTA's practice of advertising unlimited ride MetroCards for longer than their true duration violates New York's false advertising law," the lawsuit says.
Passengers only learn of the deception when they swipe at a turnstile and a notice flashes briefly indicating the short-dating, according to the lawsuit.
The MTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hollander, a Manhattan lawyer, has a history of unusual challenges and playing the victim in what he perceives as a lady-friendly world.
The 66-year-old sued Chelsea club Amenesia in 2010 for discrimination, claiming a bouncer made him buy a $350 bottle of vodka to gain admittance, but let a young woman in for free.
In August a Manhattan judge ruled that the club didn't discriminate against him.
He's also lost a lawsuit in which he declared ladies' nights sexist.
