Lawsuit: Stripper stabbed man for refusing dance
An Olney man's experience at a University City strip club went from titillating to terrifying when a stripper stabbed him in the neck because he refused her offer of a private dance, according to a lawsuit he filed in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.
An Olney man's experience at a University City strip club went from titillating to terrifying when a stripper stabbed him in the neck because he refused her offer of a private dance, according to a lawsuit he filed in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.
In his suit against the Atlantis Gentlemen's Club, on the 3800 block of Chestnut Street, Errick Epperson claims club management knew that the dancer had a history of "erratic and tumultuous behavior" but allowed her to work there anyway.
Epperson claims in the suit, filed Oct. 12, that he and a friend were at the club's bar July 23 when he was approached by the 33-year-old dancer. Her name is being withheld because she is not listed as a defendant and has not been charged with a crime.
The dancer, who Epperson says was intoxicated, "continuously" asked him and his friend if they wanted a private dance, but they repeatedly told her to go away, the suit said.
Even though Epperson and his friend rebuffed the woman's offers, she continued asking them for tips, the lawsuit says. After Epperson repeatedly told the woman that he would not tip her, she went from being a pain in the neck to lunging at his neck, according to the suit.
The stripper "became irate for no reason, grabbed a glass, broke the glass, and stabbed plaintiff in the neck," the suit says. "Plaintiff began to bleed profusely from his neck."
Police took Epperson to a hospital, where he was treated for a severe laceration to his neck that required "a lot" of stitches, said Brian Zeiger, one of Epperson's attorneys.
Zeiger said he was not sure what happened to the stripper after the alleged stabbing.
Zeiger said that Epperson made a police report and that an active warrant is out for the stripper's arrest, but a police spokeswoman said no arrest warrant was issued for a woman of that name.
In the suit, Epperson says the dancer had a previous conviction for assault and a reputation for being assaultive, which he claims the club should have known.
Neither Epperson nor the dancer could be reached for comment. The club did not respond to requests for comment.
Under prior ownership as Club Wizzards, it was a haunt of former 76ers star Allen Iverson.
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