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Midtown Club Fined $20K For Discriminating Against Non-Koreans
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jun 28, 2013
Modified Jun 28, 2013
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jun 28, 2013
Modified Jun 28, 2013
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It's not unusual for a city nightclub to have a tough door policy—sneakers are a no, hot chicks, Justin Bieber a go—but one venue just got fined major bucks for being way too discriminatory with the velvet ropes: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman's office slapped midtown club Circle with a $20,000 penalty yesterday for favoring clubgoers of Korean descent.
Apparently, a number of non-Korean patrons and/or prospective patrons accused Circle of either denying them entry to the club, requiring them to pay for bottle service, enforcing the dress code and/or having them make reservations in advance; they say Korean clubgoers, meanwhile, were not subject to such treatment. The A.G.'s office opened an investigation, and found that Circle had in fact been excluding non-Korean clubgoers.
"When I realized that I wasn’t getting into Circle because of my race I was shocked," Patrick Thomas, an African-American complainant in the AG's investigation, said. "My experience left me feeling insulted and degraded." Now, the club has to pay a $20,000 fine, a portion of which the state will pay as restitution to some of the excluded clubgoers; on top of that, the club has to revamp its door policies and dress code.
Reviewers on Yelp have referenced Circle's door policy, with a number complaining that they were refused service while Korean patrons were not. On the contact page on the club's website, there's a message (albeit in tiny, light-colored font) stating that anyone who felt discriminated against by the club should notify the manager.
Tagged
attorney general
circle
discrimination
eric schneiderman
manhattan
nightclub
Times Square
Rebecca Fishbein
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