Man Sues Over $129,626 Strip Joint Tab

JUNE 3--A New York City man is suing Gotham's leading gentlemen's club, claiming that his credit cards were billed a whopping $129,626 for a seven-hour stay last year at the East Side strip joint, The Smoking Gun has learned. That's right, $129,626! Did we mention the bill totaled $129,626? According to the below lawsuit, filed May 27 in State Supreme Court, Tauhidul Chaudhury and three friends arrived at the Scores nightclub last October 23 at 9 PM. The quartet drank in the club's bar area until 11 PM, when Chaudhury's cronies departed. Though Chaudhury--a Bangladeshi national who remained at Scores alone until the club closed at 4 AM--was "clearly and obviously intoxicated," Scores employees continued "supplying Chaudhury with the alcoholic beverages and other services, including causing Chaudhury to be admitted into a private room." The complaint does not describe those additional "services" (or any Champagne Room ministrations), but lap dances must have been on the menu. When it was all over, the six-figure tab was spread over four of Chaudhury's credit cards, with the Manhattan man claiming that he "cannot recall authorizing these charges." "If the credit card receipts do contain his signature, he did not possess the requisite mental capacity to authorize these charges," alleges the complaint filed by attorney Robert Cantor. In a brief interview, Chaudhury told TSG that he filed the lawsuit against Scores after his credit card companies rejected his bid to strike the charges. "They did not find reason to decline the payments," said Chaudhury (that's probably because his signature appears on the credit card receipts). Lonnie Hanover, a Scores spokesman, said he had not seen the complaint and could not comment on Chaudhury's claims. This is the second time in two weeks that a former Scores patron has filed a lawsuit accusing the club of improper billing--though the first litigant claims he's out just $28,021, a pittance compared to the gargantuan Chaudhury tab. (6 pages)