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Penthouse Executive Club Accuses Ex-Waitress of Defamation
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 20, 2010
Modified Aug 20, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 20, 2010
Modified Aug 20, 2010
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Six months after everyone forgot about the former cocktail waitress at the Penthouse Executive Club who was suing for sexual harassment, the club has hit back, vowing to file their own lawsuit for defamation over her "spurious allegations of sexual harassment." In February, Lourdes Garcia, 34, accused the owner of firing her after she repeatedly rebuffed the sexual of advances of both male and female managers. But she has since dropped that part of the lawsuit, fired her original lawyer, and is instead pressing forward with a class-action suit claiming that she and other workers weren't paid minimum wage or overtime.
According to legal papers obtained by the Post, lawyers for the Penthouse Club claim "Garcia earned almost $300,000 over the approximately four years she was employed at the club. This is Ms. Garcia’s second bite at the apple in trying to find something to claim against The Executive Club. Her changing stories are evidence of the lack of merit of her claims." The club also claims that Garcia "was terminated as a club employee in December 2009 when she was caught overcharging customers and stealing from the club."
Garcia's new lawyer, Lloyd Ambinder, wouldn't comment on why his client dropped the sexual harassment charges, but he says, "This is the first time we've heard about this alleged theft." Tread lightly, Ambinder; you may get fired next.
Tagged
defamation
lawsuit
Lourdes Garcia
penthouse executive club
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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