tuscl

I was drugged': Doctor refuses to pay $135K strip club bill

shadowcat
Atlanta suburb
Tuesday, April 22, 2014 1:40 PM
A prominent heart doctor is trying to skirt $135,000 in credit-card charges at a Manhattan jiggle joint by claiming strip-club staff drugged him, according to a new civil lawsuit. Scores NY says in its suit that Dr. Zyad Kivarkis Younan “voluntarily” visited the West 28th Street flesh emporium on four occasions in November for “services, food and beverages.” The 41-year-old Holmdel, NJ, resident first signed his American Express bills, then refuted the charges, claiming “he was drugged by plaintiffs' employees and thus did not authorize the charges,” according to the Manhattan suit filed by Scores on Tuesday. The doc claimed he wasn't even at the adult playhouse some of the days in question: Nov. 17, 23, 26 and 28, according to court papers. But Scores says it has irrefutable evidence of Younan enjoying himself at the pleasure palace last fall. “We have it on tape,” said club rep Steven Sabbeth. When asked about the drugging allegations, Sabbeth joked, “Within two weeks, he was here four times, so if he was drugged the first time, I guess he liked it.” On a more serious note, he said, “We're very law-abiding. We're very careful.” Sabbeth was not able to give a breakdown of Younan's activities at the club, but he said the most popular services include $20 lap dances and private room rentals where men can enjoy one-on-one time with a dancer for up to $1,000 an hour. “He spent a lot of money,” Sabbeth said. “He was partaking and tipping and drinking.” The unbridled behavior is not out of the ordinary, Sabbeth said. “This happens every once in a while, people get out of control with their credit cards, and then they wake up the next morning and realize what they've done,” Sabbeth said. “They knew it the night before, but I guess it didn't bother them because they were enjoying themselves,” Sabbeth said. Younan, whose father and twin brother are also doctors, specializes in clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. He trained at Manhattan's Mount Sinai Medical Center and Philadelphia's MCP Hahnemann University Hospital. Younan excelled in sports at the private Ranney School, where he was recently inducted into the Panther Athletic Hall of Fame. The doctor, reached at his office, was with a client and did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

13 comments

  • steve229
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    10 years ago
    Well, what do you expect - he works at "Robert Wood Johnson" University Hospital after all (I think that the second time that name's appeared here)
  • VeryBigDawg
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    10 years ago
    And I thought the ATM fees were high at Follies!
  • ReplyToCraig
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    10 years ago
    I have experienced basically the same thing, just not to that extent at a sleaze operation in Harvey, Illinois called Club O. They bring you a "fresh drink" while in a VIP room, you black out, they steal your cash and they ran up an additional $800 in charges on my card. It's done quite well because 5/3 bank investigated and called the transaction legit. Basically the chicks suffer because I have spend thousands at other clubs those girls and that dump will never see, and 5/3 now has nothing but a very basic account from me since they haven't the ability to protect my money better than the thieves have of stealing it.
  • mjx01
    •
    10 years ago
    rule 1: no credit / debit card in a SC. Also... who the F*** has a credit line north of 135k?
  • Cheo_D
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    10 years ago
    steve, at least it's not the *Richard* Wood Johnson hospital. We keep running into these guys who run tabs over the median household income in NY clubs and then don't have an explanation. They can't be all just idiots, can they? BUT, however... IF he indeed they have evidence he ran this up over FOUR visits, then that averages out to $33K-34K a night -- say he took 3 girls at a time for 5 hours in the CR that would be $15K, plus then say he tips at 50% that's +$7,500 = $22,500 and then there's 12 Thou in food, drinks, cigars and club staff tips... I suppose doable with a few bottles of multi-thou champagne. Beyond ridiculous, but doable. I damn sure hope he was not diagnosing anyone for 48 hours after such a visit, though... Again, boys and girls: Cash not Cards Cash not Cards Cash not Cards OK, but, I can hear them sayin': it's Manhattan, man, you can't be just carrying the kind of cash you'd need in Manhattan to have a good time (and that's just to the regular nightclub...) OK, then: Fixed-Limit Cards Fixed-Limit Cards Fixed-Limit Cards At least let BoA cut you off at 5 or 10 Large if you're in no shape to do it for yourself and contain the damage. For most normal purposes AmEx is wonderful for having no nominal limit other than what they deduce from your spending pattern habits, but that's all based on the presumption the customer has his shit together and will be able to react to a call/text asking about an unusual charge.
  • bxbomber51
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    10 years ago
    Scores NY is notorious for this. Buddy of mine ended up w a $20K bill from a bachelor party where he wasnt even drinking.
  • gawker
    •
    10 years ago
    That's un- fucking- believable. My ATF has told me of some wild CR parties where a whale was spending 10's of thousands but never anything like $135K. Once she had the owner of a well known business take 3 friends and 6 girls to a private room and was buying $150 bottles of champagne. After 2 hours he tipped each dancer $1,000. They were all snorting lines of coke ( one guy had a longer than average dock and would have girls snorting lines off his dick.) but it's a real stretch to see how he'd blow that kind of money.
  • steve229
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    10 years ago
    @Cheo - when I frst read the post, I was trying to do the math in my head how it was even possible. thanks for breaking it down
  • JohnSmith69
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    10 years ago
    My kind of Dr., he takes calls from the strip club while he's with patients! The story proves two rules. 1. Not only don't use credit cards at a club, but don't even take them in with you. I take mine out of my wallet and leave them in the hotel room or car. That way they can't be stolen, and the little head can't decide to charge something more than I can afford. 2. Don't go to Manhattan clubs to get dances. The dances suck ( in a bad way ), and the prices are insane. I learned this lesson the hard way when I was less experienced. These days when in Manhattan, I just go to flash dancers for the stage show and nothing else. It's not worth it.
  • motorhead
    •
    10 years ago
    "Younan excelled in sports at the private Ranney School, where he was recently inducted into the Panther Athletic Hall of Fame." Apparently he spent too much time playing games, not learning common sense about no cards. Just kidding, but seriously, how is this related to the story?
  • SlickSpic
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    10 years ago
    I don't even drink Manhattans, let alone club there.
  • carl95
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    10 years ago
    "A prominent heart doctor is trying to skirt $135,000 in credit-card charges at a Manhattan jiggle joint by claiming strip-club staff drugged him, according to a new civil lawsuit." I read this first paragraph and hoped it was Dr. Oz.
  • steve229
    •
    10 years ago
    Cheo, your analysis was spot on, only he was taking five dancers at a time to VIP! Follow-up article has more details of the spending spree. [view link] "Cardiologist who bilked strip club out of $135,000 spent most of that money on tipping strippers, including 'five he took into a private room at the same time'"
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