A Long Island strip club was allegedly nothing more than a thinly disguised brothel, where managers secretly sold dancers to wealthy clients for sex behind locked, soundproof doors, according to a bombshell $2.5 million lawsuit.
Management at Gossip Restaurant & Cigar Bar in Melville allegedly operated a covert “concierge pipeline,” funneling wealthy clients into so-called VIP rooms where thousands of dollars were paid for sex acts while security stood watch outside, court papers filed in Manhattan Supreme Court claim.
The lawsuit quotes one dancer issuing a chilling warning: "If a customer wanted to rape and kill you, they could do it back there."
"I did not consent to being assaulted because I danced for a living," said Christine DeMaria, a former dancer turned attorney. "No one does." SWITCH CARES
Christine DeMaria, an ex-dancer who is now an attorney, filed the complaint alleging that two of the club’s VIP rooms were intentionally designed to isolate women for sexual access, featuring soundproof walls and locks on the outside.
“Gossip’s managers… actively tried to coerce [DeMaria] and other dancers to cross the line from lawful exotic dancing into unlawful prostitution,” the suit alleges.
DeMaria alleges she was brutally blacklisted and fired on a bogus theft accusation after repeatedly speaking out against what she calls the club’s “monetized trauma.”
“I was told, over and over, that this was just part of the job,” she said in a statement.
“It is not. I did not consent to being assaulted because I danced for a living. No one does,” DeMaria said. “Our bodies are not the price of employment.”
When DeMaria started dancing at the Long Island strip club in 2016, she believed the club’s steep fees and constant male supervision were meant to protect dancers from what the filing describes as the ever-present risk of sexual assault.
Management at Melville’s Gossip Restaurant & Cigar Bar allegedly orchestrated a secret “concierge pipeline,” charging wealthy clients thousands for guaranteed sex acts in VIP rooms while security kept watch outside, Manhattan Supreme Court filings claim. Google Maps
But she quickly realized the so-called “house fee” system was a trap, directing dancers into private basement rooms for higher-paying—but far more exploitative—work, the suit claims.
“Within weeks of starting,” the filing claims, DeMaria witnessed her co-workers performing sex acts, allegedly “orchestrated and monetized” by Gossip management.
Visiting porn stars allegedly carried out sex acts in full view, including oral sex on stage, with the lawsuit noting that a customer even joined in at one point.
Christine DeMaria spent six years dancing at Gossip, from 2016 to 2022, her lawsuit alleges. SWITCH CARES
The lawsuit alleges that several dancers confided in DeMaria about being sexually assaulted by Gossip clients after performing sex acts on stage — incidents that reportedly encouraged further predatory behavior.
Things took an even darker turn in 2022, when, according to the lawsuit, the dancers’ locker room was remodeled to add a pair of private VIP rooms—soundproofed and equipped with locks on the outside—raising alarming questions about what was happening behind those doors.
The club slapped a $2,000 fee on these so-called 'high-roller rooms'—spaces where, according to the lawsuit, oversight vanished and boundaries became disturbingly negotiable.
Christine DeMaria says she saw countless sexual acts unfold at the club—including allegations of violent assaults happening behind closed doors. Christine DeMaria/ Instagram
The lawsuit alleges that in early 2022, a Gossip manager forced two dancers into a VIP room with a client who "brutally raped and assaulted both women," while the manager and a bouncer waited outside.
A few months later, the lawsuit says, a client aggressively groped DeMaria’s private parts in one of the VIP rooms, causing her intense pain—prompting her to throw him out in response.
After several more alleged aggressive incidents that year—and mounting pressure from peers to participate in sexual acts to push clients to pay even higher fees—DeMaria went to management to complain, according to her lawsuit.
DeMaria is seeking at least $2.5 million, accusing the club of gender discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and wage violations. Christine DeMaria/ Instagram
She claims that managers then accused her of stealing $40 from another dancer—and promptly fired her.
She went on to graduate from law school, launch a nonprofit supporting sex workers, and in 2023, was honored with the prestigious $200,000 David Prize.
DeMaria is demanding at least $2.5 million, alleging the club subjected her to gender discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and wage theft.
Gossip’s attorney did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
DeMaria has taken legal action against at least four other strip clubs this year, accusing them of the same abuses—including Sapphire 60 on the Upper East Side.
“While the incidents vary from club to club, the pattern is unmistakable: some strip clubs profit by tolerating, and even fostering, a culture where women are assaulted or coerced into prostitution,” said DeMaria’s attorney, Megan Goddard.
“Let’s be absolutely clear: sexual assault is illegal everywhere, and that includes inside a strip club.”
