Teens Sue Oregon Strip Club
An underage prostitution ring at an Oregon strip club led to the manager Steven Toth getting sent to prison for 15 years, and now two teenage girls are suing the company for millions of dollars. The defendant Frehoo Inc controls four Oregon strip club. The two teenagers are also suing tooth for prostituting underage girls in the back of the club. According to their lawsuits, S.H. was 13 when she stripped at the club, and A.G. was 15.
Toth, 45 years old, testified in his trial in 2014 that he guarded the door while S.H. had paid sex with clients. He pleaded guilty and testified against the girl's pimp, 30 year old Victor Moreno-Hernandez. Moreno-Hernandez is currently serving a 30 year sentence for sexually abusing drugging, and prostituting the girl.
The Oregon Labor Commissioner filed charges against Frehoo and Stars co-owner Jeff Struhar for alleging illegal sexual harassment of minors. The commissioner said that the club hired the 15 year old girl to dance even after Toth was arrested for prostituting S.H.
The other club co-owner Randy Keiser denied that prostitution ever happened at his club and that their internal investigation showed that those things could not and did not happen. Keiser says that the club continues to deny any prostitution activity in spite of the former manager's plea agreement that resulted in his conviction. Keiser also blames the underage girls for seeking a job as a stripper. He says that the club has a series of steps to prevent underage persons from getting work at the club which include checking identification and running background checks.
The girls accused Frehoo of transferring assets to Toth after he pleaded guilty. In addition to prison sentences, Judge Thomas Kohl fined Toth and Moreno-Hernandez $150,000 each.
Toth, 45 years old, testified in his trial in 2014 that he guarded the door while S.H. had paid sex with clients. He pleaded guilty and testified against the girl's pimp, 30 year old Victor Moreno-Hernandez. Moreno-Hernandez is currently serving a 30 year sentence for sexually abusing drugging, and prostituting the girl.
The Oregon Labor Commissioner filed charges against Frehoo and Stars co-owner Jeff Struhar for alleging illegal sexual harassment of minors. The commissioner said that the club hired the 15 year old girl to dance even after Toth was arrested for prostituting S.H.
The other club co-owner Randy Keiser denied that prostitution ever happened at his club and that their internal investigation showed that those things could not and did not happen. Keiser says that the club continues to deny any prostitution activity in spite of the former manager's plea agreement that resulted in his conviction. Keiser also blames the underage girls for seeking a job as a stripper. He says that the club has a series of steps to prevent underage persons from getting work at the club which include checking identification and running background checks.
The girls accused Frehoo of transferring assets to Toth after he pleaded guilty. In addition to prison sentences, Judge Thomas Kohl fined Toth and Moreno-Hernandez $150,000 each.
The two girls seek punitive damages for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligent training and supervision, failure to provide safety and security, failure to intervene, vicarious liability and violations of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act.
Comments from Allen:
This kind of case is interesting in that these girls apparently applied for the job as strippers, and voluntarily engaged in prostitution activity as part of their job. The problem is that, until the girls were 18 years old, they did not have the legal capacity to consent to either stripping or engaging in prostitution.
In other words, even though they were willing participants, and may have lied about their respective ages, they were not old enough to be willing participants. Their employer is probably civilly liable for its role in having them strip and having them engage in prostitution for their boss, and they will probably share no comparative fault at all for this.
As you might guess, this kind of case is handled somewhat like a statutory rape case in which the "victim," who may have been the aggressor, is too young to have any responsibility for engaging in sex. The difference is that this is a civil case in which the remedy is money damages; the criminal charges are being handled separately and the girls involved will not be entitled to damages in a criminal case.
The girls are bringing a civil suit against their former employer for millions of dollars. Frankly, they are not out of line in asking for damages like this. The strip clubs that employed them are not going to want to discuss money damages in front of a jury, and I would expect the clubs to put some serious money on the table to keep this suit from a jury.
Allen is able to provide his services if the incident occurs in the following Idaho Areas: American Falls, Arco, Blackfoot, Boise, Burley, Driggs, Idaho Falls, Malad City, Pocatello, Rexburg, Rigby, Salmon, St. Anthony, Twin Falls, Bannock County, Bingham County, Bonneville County, Butte County, Cassia County, Clark County, Fremont County, Jefferson County, Lemhi County, Madison County, Oneida County, Power County, Teton County, and Twin Falls County.
Sources for more information:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/07/12/teens-sue-oregon-strip-club-chain.htm
Comments from Allen:
This kind of case is interesting in that these girls apparently applied for the job as strippers, and voluntarily engaged in prostitution activity as part of their job. The problem is that, until the girls were 18 years old, they did not have the legal capacity to consent to either stripping or engaging in prostitution.
In other words, even though they were willing participants, and may have lied about their respective ages, they were not old enough to be willing participants. Their employer is probably civilly liable for its role in having them strip and having them engage in prostitution for their boss, and they will probably share no comparative fault at all for this.
As you might guess, this kind of case is handled somewhat like a statutory rape case in which the "victim," who may have been the aggressor, is too young to have any responsibility for engaging in sex. The difference is that this is a civil case in which the remedy is money damages; the criminal charges are being handled separately and the girls involved will not be entitled to damages in a criminal case.
The girls are bringing a civil suit against their former employer for millions of dollars. Frankly, they are not out of line in asking for damages like this. The strip clubs that employed them are not going to want to discuss money damages in front of a jury, and I would expect the clubs to put some serious money on the table to keep this suit from a jury.
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Allen Browning is an attorney in Idaho Falls, Idaho who handles personal injury and criminal defense. He has over 30 years of experience and handled thousands of cases. Allen handles cases from all over Idaho. Call (208) 542-2700 to set up a free consultation if you are facing legal trouble or you have been involved in an accident.
Also, check out browninglaw.net for more information about Allen and Browning Law.
Allen Browning can help with all personal injury claims including motor vehicle accidents,truck accidents, auto accidents, serious and disabling accidents, and wrongful death claims.
Allen Browning is an Idaho Falls attorney who can also help with drunk driving (DUI), traffic violations, Felony, Misdemeanor, Domestic Violence, Drug Crimes, Theft, Juvenile Crimes, battery and assault charges, Violent Crimes, and Probation/Parole Violations. He is one of the most experienced and successful criminal defense attorneys in Idaho.
Allen is able to provide his services if the incident occurs in the following Idaho Areas: American Falls, Arco, Blackfoot, Boise, Burley, Driggs, Idaho Falls, Malad City, Pocatello, Rexburg, Rigby, Salmon, St. Anthony, Twin Falls, Bannock County, Bingham County, Bonneville County, Butte County, Cassia County, Clark County, Fremont County, Jefferson County, Lemhi County, Madison County, Oneida County, Power County, Teton County, and Twin Falls County.
Sources for more information:
http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/07/12/teens-sue-oregon-strip-club-chain.htm
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