A cocktail waitress at a Hialeah strip club says she was unjustly fired -- for refusing to give massages to customers, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
Lysa R. Jacobstein, of Hollywood, says that she had always been an "exemplary employee" at PT's Showclub, formerly known as Platinum Plus. Reprimands began in early June 2010, however, when her boss said she would also be required to provide "TLC" massages to patrons.
Jacobstein said 'no,' and was given a written reprimand and sent home without pay, Broward County Civil Court docs indicate.
Jacobstein has said in the filing that strip club work, including cocktail waitressing, obviously has sexual elements to it, but that she is OK with cocktail waitressing because it is a slightly less sexual job, one that she finds less "personally and reasonably offensive" than a job involving straight-up nudity, or outright physical contact.
While PT's is indeed a gentlemen's club, Jacobstein notes in the filing: "She did not and indeed would not take her clothes off as part of her job performance, and did not expect to have any physical contact with customers other than incidental to the performance of her responsibilities as a cocktail waitress."
Obviously, the massage policy didn't jibe with this. So Jacobstein complained to the club's general manager. He said he'd "get back to her," but never did, according to the filing.
Shortly after, Jacobstein was told that she'd be fired if she didn't perform the TLC massages. On June 25, 2010, "female servers were advised of the fact that if they did not perform TLC massages, they would be terminated" and replaced with waitress who would.
Jacobstein was eventually fired because "she refused to engage in offensive sexually related behavior as a condition of employment" -- and because she complained about unfair treatment -- she claims.
Now, Jacobstein is suing PT's under the Federal Civil Rights Act, and claims that she suffered from gender discrimination. She wants back pay and damages for emotional distress.
Representatives from PT's, located off the Palmetto Expressway, have not returned calls for comment.
Reviews of the club, however, give somewhat of a glimpse into the inner politics of this adult entertainment megaplex.
One commentator, Jaydawg1325, says of the club: "You that you need to come wit money. They usually have a lot of girls dancing at any time. They have a lot of hot girls here who demand tips. They have a large main stage that has a pool in the middle far out of arms reach. So you won't be coping much of a feel here. This club has a party atmosphere to it. A lot of people go there to party as if it were a regular night club. Basically bring a lot of money if you want to get the girls to pay atttention to you."
Check back to the Pulp for updates on the lawsuit.
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