Expand / Collapse search
☰

DC strip club lawsuit: Owners accused of harassment, stealing dancers’ cash

By
Updated  March 11, 2025 2:10pm EDT
Crime in the DMV
FOX 5 DC
article

The Brief

    • The D.C. attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Cloakroom strip club for sexual harassment, wage theft, and mistreatment of employees.
    • Female workers at the club were allegedly harassed, assaulted, and underpaid, with management turning a blind eye.
    • The club is accused of stealing tips, underpaying for overtime, and using a fake "Cloakbucks" system to scam customers.
    • The lawsuit seeks to hold the club accountable, recover lost wages, and ensure compliance with workplace laws.

WASHINGTON - The owners of Cloakroom, a high-end strip club in D.C., are facing serious legal trouble after being accused of creating a toxic and abusive workplace. 

DC AG sues Cloakroom strip club over sexual harassment, wage theft

What we know:

D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb has filed a lawsuit against the club and its owners, Antonios Cavasilios and Carlos Horcasitas, for allegedly allowing sexual harassment, stealing wages, and mistreating employees for years.

The lawsuit claims that female workers at Cloakroom were repeatedly harassed, groped, insulted, and even assaulted while management turned a blind eye. 

In some cases, a former manager allegedly demanded sexual favors in exchange for time off or better shifts. 

But the abuse didn’t stop there — according to the lawsuit, Cloakroom also cheated its dancers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The club allegedly forced them to give up a cut of their tips, underpaid them for overtime, and even scammed customers with a fake "Cloakbucks" tipping system that secretly took a percentage for the club.

Workers who spoke up about the mistreatment were reportedly punished, with some losing shifts or even getting fired. Others were allegedly put in danger when management refused to call security if they were being harassed by customers.

Image 1 of 2
▼

 

Schwalb says the city won’t tolerate this kind of exploitation. 

"Cloakroom and its owners flagrantly disregard the most basic workplace protections and decencies, routinely subjecting female employees to degradation and abuse while deploying a variety of schemes to steal their pay," he said in a statement.

The lawsuit aims to hold Cloakroom accountable, recover lost wages for affected employees, and force the club to follow the law. 

The D.C. Attorney General’s Office is also asking former and current Cloakroom workers who experienced or witnessed these conditions to come forward.

What is Cloakroom? 

Cloakroom was named the Best of DC 2021 Adult Entertainment Winner and was nominated for Best Overall Gentlemen’s Club in the USA 2019, 2022 & 2023 by E.D Publications, according to its website. 

Cloakroom is a multi-level adult entertainment venue located in Mount Vernon Triangle, at 476 K ST. NW D.C. 

Cloakroom is the first gentlemen’s club in the country to offer a sportsbook inside its venue.

The Source: The Office of the D.C. Attorney General 

Crime in the DMVWashington, D.C.