Save the lap dance for me

Some attorneys set out from the start with the intention of specializing in a particular area of the law that’s already well-established, some are trailblazers creating new areas of specialization, and others have opportunities fall into their laps.

Which of the three describes Gregg Greenberg of the Zipin Law Firm in Maryland best we can’t say. We do know for sure that in the seminal field of lap-dance litigation, Gregg Greenberg is a definite comer.

In the spring of 2011, Greenberg began filing complaints in federal court in Martinsburg against various West Virginia strip joints. He subsequently reached settlements with Divas, Underground Casino and Lounge and Taboo Gentlemen’s Club. A class action suit against the Legz Club remains pending, with a proposed settlement under review.

This month, Greenberg filed another class action in Berkeley County Circuit Court, against Paradise City II in Bunker Hill, on behalf of three exotic dancers who claim the club and its manager wrongfully took a portion of the tips they made doing lap dances for customers.

The PC II lap ballerinas maintain they were required to pay $35 to the club for each private dance given, a policy they and their attorney say violates the Fair Labor Standards Act and the West Virginia Wage Payment and Collection Act. What they netted must have made it worthwhile, for two of the dirty dancers tolerated this “unfair” practice for four months, the third for nearly a year.

Greenberg is seeking $345,000 for the class represented by the duo of terpsichorean teasers who sued Legz, with a sizable portion of the proceeds to be dedicated to covering his fees and litigation costs.

We won’t argue with anyone who concludes that these strippers and Greenberg hope to lap it up with success in court. Suffice it to say that Greenberg has brought a new meaning to the term “lap of luxury.”