BCFC/iStock(TAMPA, Fla.) — A teenage girl filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Scores accusing the nationwide strip club chain of sexual abuse and human trafficking.
“Jane Doe,” a self-described developmentally disabled and emotionally disturbed teen, said in 2017 a male acquaintance brought her to a Scores in Tampa, Fla., where she said she was put on stage within 30 minutes and sent down a path of abuse, exploitation and prostitution.
The lawsuit targeted Scores Tampa but the plaintiff’s attorneys said the allegedly reckless and illegal practices were consistent with the chain’s business model.
“Enabling and profiting from the sexual abuse of a developmentally disabled teenage girl is deplorable even by the standards of the adult entertainment industry,” said Michael Dolce at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll.
According to the lawsuit, Scores failed to confirm Jane Doe’s age or identity or follow other measures required by law to combat human trafficking.
For the several days Jane Doe was illegally employed as a minor at Scores Tampa, her lawsuit said she was regularly put in the position of performing sexually explicit acts and was encouraged to take illegal drugs to numb herself so she could perform.
A spokesman for Scores Holding Company declined to comment to ABC News.
Scores, which has more than 10 locations in the U.S, returned to the spotlight in the 2019 film Hustlers. Jennifer Lopez’s character was based on a former Scores dancer.
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