Larry Flynt's Hustler Club Sued For Allegedly Charging Customer $28,109 For Drinks

A man is suing Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in New York after leaving the strip joint with an unhappy ending.

The New York outpost of the strip club chain charged W.A. Ilg a whopping $28,109.60 for drinks in May, according to a complaint filed in Manhattan Supreme Court last week.

The club's staff allegedly "wrongfully served [Ilg] excess alcoholic beverages" on May 24 and into the wee hours of May 25, getting him so drunk that he "was no longer capable of conducting financial transactions."

Ilg later demanded a refund for the hefty bill, but couldn't get the bar to give him the money back.

The Hustler Club's publicist wouldn't talk about the lawsuit or discuss prices for goods and services with The Huffington Post.

"We have no comment," said Steve Karel.

But a former beverage manager at the rival Penthouse Executive Club shared some insight on adult entertainment in Manhattan. Crazy Legs Conti said an exuberant customer on a night out can lose his shirt faster than one of the strippers he's come to ogle.

"If this guy came in and had a private room with a few private entertainers, it would be very easy to run up a bar tab like that," said Conti. "Invariably these guys have what's called buyer's remorse. They wake up, they're hungover, they see the credit card bills.

"At the Penthouse club, they had a whole department to deal with the angry calls."

The charges mount quickly, Conti says, when customers bought more than a few stiff drinks, which ranged from about $10 for a domestic beer to $160 for a few shots of Johnny Walker Blue. Private room rentals at the Penthouse club went for $1,100 per hour, according to Conti and, while the strippers earned anywhere from $600 to $1,000 an hour on top of that. Throw in a couple of Jay-Z endorsed Ace of Spades champagne at around a grand a pop and the bill will amount to a small fortune.

Ilg's attorney declined to comment, telling The Huffington Post "I'll have to talk to my client before I can talk to you."

Earlier this year, another patron said the Hustler Club bilked him, too. That customer said all he wanted to get was a lap dance for $300. Later he found $21,000 billed to two credit cards, although the man admitted he didn't remember anything that happened after he ventured into the club's private room.

Comments

[El Chingaso]

09:11 AM on 09/05/2011

Never go into one of those place. Folks have a choice. Especially in a country where imaginary theft...is acceptable. Buyer beware...

[Mon Key]

07:25 PM on 09/04/2011

Everyday they're hustlin'

[Jeffreygeez]

03:20 AM on 09/04/2011

That skim money goes into a fund for the dancer's so they can pay for counseling that helps them deal with the fact that are are exploited by the male customer's.Another example of men taking advantage of women.Who can blame the management for wanting to help their employees, 5 or ten grand in cash pay/tips a week cannot heal their wounds.It's not about the money.So cough it up big boy, they love ya.

[bgangwer1981]

10:41 PM on 09/03/2011

I wish I had credit like that.

[92102]

08:13 PM on 09/03/2011

That's an awful lot of dollar bills to stuff into a g-string.

[Rich914]

06:29 PM on 09/03/2011

The guy is an idiot, and NYC strip clubs are very expensive places to be an idiot.

[Wolfman Thomas]

02:08 PM on 09/02/2011

I went to a Mexican bar and bought a beer for $4 dollars a lady came over to me and asked me to buy her a beer and the the bar tender told me $8 dollars and I asked him why the price doubled for her beer he told me she worked there and that was the going price. I finished my beer and left and never went back

[Wolfman Thomas]

01:59 PM on 09/02/2011

I have seen these guys that want to be big shots and have no responsabillity until the bill comes

[srooge]

08:12 PM on 09/01/2011

yousocrazygoldmansucksFedworkers

[ludichris212]

05:02 PM on 09/01/2011

Now there's a story he can tell his grandkids!

[CapsFan1988]

04:58 PM on 09/01/2011

wow! and here I am thinking spending around $50 when I go out to the bars in old town Alexandria is expensive! Then again these bars don't have busty women striping and humping my leg in a back room!

[ChescoRes]

04:41 PM on 09/01/2011

"...although the man admitted he didn't remember anything that happened after he ventured into the club's private room."

Now THAT'S the trajedy right there. Nevermind how much money you spent. To spend all that time in there and then not REMEMBER!?!?

Duuuuuuude. How bout a little moderation, ey?

[Max Shaw]

03:04 PM on 09/01/2011

Maybe theyre all getting drugged in their drinks and thus you have the large ridiculous tabs [and breasts] thrown at them.

[Michael Ludin]

07:18 AM on 09/02/2011

virtual lap dances,

[iuriggs6]

01:26 PM on 09/01/2011

You always get screwed in one way or another at these places....

[Northern Observer]

10:11 AM on 09/01/2011

"The club's staff allegedly "wrongfully served [Ilg] excess alcoholic beverages"

They served him, not forced him to drink. Take some personal responsibility. If he can prove that he was charged for items and services that he didn't receive, then maybe there's some validity to his complaint.

[duncansdad]

06:02 PM on 09/03/2011

I think a bar has some responsibility, as well. If a person is already too drunk to know they've had enough, the server or bartender should stop serving them. This place sounds like they know exactly what they are doing and how to get as much money from their customers as possible.