Author Teri Woods & Club Goers File $1BILLION Lawsuit Against NYC Hotspot Greenhouse
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It was supposed to be a big night for top urban fiction author Teri Woods, who had invited 175 people to party at a trendy SoHo nightclub to celebrate her new book.
But Woods ended up in tears when she found almost her entire guestlist being kept outside Greenhouse's notorious velvet rope.
Now a $1 billion class-action suit says the partygoers were denied entry because they were black.
"They should have just put up a sign that said, 'No Coloreds Allowed,'" fumed Kashan Robinson, 39, of the Bronx, one of the plaintiffs. "There was no reason for them to not allow us into that club, except for the color of our skin."
Club owner Barry Mullineaux declined to discuss what had happened to Woods' party beyond calling charges of racism "all pretty much bogus."
Woods has text messages she says he sent that night showing he was barring people based on appearance. "Everybody looking at me like this ur people Barry???" read a text message. "I couldn't let in 300lb girls."
Asked if he remembered sending the messages, Mullineaux said, "Not word for word."
Woods said, "I was clearly violated that night, and so were so many other people. ... All I know is it had something to do with 'your people' and 'fat.'"
A pioneer of the enormously successful urban or hip-hop fiction genre, Woods had planned a blowout on Aug. 6, complete with popular DJ Suss One, bottles of French Ciroc Vodka and gift bags with copies of her new book, "Alibi."
Her party promoter printed up flyers for the Thursday night shindig at the "environmentally conscious" club on Varick St.
Greenhouse, which opened last year, already is known for its tough door policy and the long lines of clubgoers waiting to get in.
Woods, author of New York Times best seller "True to the Game," said she arrived to find that all her black guests - some of whom had traveled from as far as Virginia - had been turned away without explanation.
"They left all of my friends and family standing outside," she said. "I had really serious people out there: lawyers, doctors and people in the entertainment industry.
"I was embarrassed. I was just walking around in circles and in tears. They took my moment."
A handful of her guests who were white lawyers were allowed in, she said.
"There was nobody out there who was fat, and even if there was a fat person, who cares?"
Robinson, the sister of rapper Queen Pen, said, "When I asked the doorman what was the problem, he just looked past us like we didn't exist."
Robinson is part of the suit filed against Mullineaux and another club owner.
Woods is mulling a separate action.
"We're not talking about four people - we're talking over 100 people," said lawyer John Nonnenmacher, who filed the suit. "Our contention is Greenhouse didn't let people in because of the color of their skin. Because they were black."
Clubs can deny entry based on clothing but not race: The feds have gone after clubs in Virginia and Wisconsin that tried to keep black people out.
mfeeney@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/10/19/2009-10-19_blacks_slap_c...
But Woods ended up in tears when she found almost her entire guestlist being kept outside Greenhouse's notorious velvet rope.
Now a $1 billion class-action suit says the partygoers were denied entry because they were black.
"They should have just put up a sign that said, 'No Coloreds Allowed,'" fumed Kashan Robinson, 39, of the Bronx, one of the plaintiffs. "There was no reason for them to not allow us into that club, except for the color of our skin."
Club owner Barry Mullineaux declined to discuss what had happened to Woods' party beyond calling charges of racism "all pretty much bogus."
Woods has text messages she says he sent that night showing he was barring people based on appearance. "Everybody looking at me like this ur people Barry???" read a text message. "I couldn't let in 300lb girls."
Asked if he remembered sending the messages, Mullineaux said, "Not word for word."
Woods said, "I was clearly violated that night, and so were so many other people. ... All I know is it had something to do with 'your people' and 'fat.'"
A pioneer of the enormously successful urban or hip-hop fiction genre, Woods had planned a blowout on Aug. 6, complete with popular DJ Suss One, bottles of French Ciroc Vodka and gift bags with copies of her new book, "Alibi."
Her party promoter printed up flyers for the Thursday night shindig at the "environmentally conscious" club on Varick St.
Greenhouse, which opened last year, already is known for its tough door policy and the long lines of clubgoers waiting to get in.
Woods, author of New York Times best seller "True to the Game," said she arrived to find that all her black guests - some of whom had traveled from as far as Virginia - had been turned away without explanation.
"They left all of my friends and family standing outside," she said. "I had really serious people out there: lawyers, doctors and people in the entertainment industry.
"I was embarrassed. I was just walking around in circles and in tears. They took my moment."
A handful of her guests who were white lawyers were allowed in, she said.
"There was nobody out there who was fat, and even if there was a fat person, who cares?"
Robinson, the sister of rapper Queen Pen, said, "When I asked the doorman what was the problem, he just looked past us like we didn't exist."
Robinson is part of the suit filed against Mullineaux and another club owner.
Woods is mulling a separate action.
"We're not talking about four people - we're talking over 100 people," said lawyer John Nonnenmacher, who filed the suit. "Our contention is Greenhouse didn't let people in because of the color of their skin. Because they were black."
Clubs can deny entry based on clothing but not race: The feds have gone after clubs in Virginia and Wisconsin that tried to keep black people out.
mfeeney@nydailynews.com
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/10/19/2009-10-19_blacks_slap_c...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by alluringeyes on -
This is happening everywhere. They will go as far as to tell DJs to play a certain music to make sure a certain group isn't having fun or turn back. It's really sad.
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Permalink Reply by RoyaleT on -
I was at Mansion in NYC over the weekend and I noticed they did the same thing. We had a private party that involved mostly black people. I had friends that were waiting from 11 to 1am trying to get in. They kept saying the club was too capacity (more specifically the hip hop room). I though that was strange cause It was not packed and white and other nationalities were constantly flooding in. Its a crock of shit!!!! All nationalities have their uncivilized partygoers......
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Permalink Reply by Boss/MadamBA on -
That is terrible. The fact that the white lawyer gain access and not her black friends..she might have a case. So sad..
I love her books BTW
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Permalink Reply by lady lynxx- ladylynxx.ning.com on -
Sickening....
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Permalink Reply by Cougar $pice on -
We need to start 'owing' our own buildings for events and stop 'renting'.
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Permalink Reply by Elise' on -
She has a damn good case, and she will win WATCH, they'll probably settle out of court.
bogus! and she is the ultimate professional businesswoman. They messed with the wrong one.
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Permalink Reply by JustMe on -
Alibi was the first book by her that I read, and it was GOOD!
Boss/MadamBA said:That is terrible. The fact that the white lawyer gain access and not her black friends..she might have a case. So sad..
I love her books BTW
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Permalink Reply by JustMe on
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you are right... there is a club in Louisiana that will not allow Black men to wear clothes by Urban designers... and even if they wear a nice button down, their shirts must be tucked in at all times... sick. there is currently a federal case pending against them...
alluringeyes said:This is happening everywhere. They will go as far as to tell DJs to play a certain music to make sure a certain group isn't having fun or turn back. It's really sad.
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Permalink Reply by Devyn AKA Dominique Devereaux on -
I guess eventhough we are the largest consumer spending group in the country, our money still isn't welcomed everywhere...SMDH...
And when are we going to learn to stop patronizing these establishments? If your name is not Jay-Z, Diddy or Rhianna these clubs don't give two damns about you!
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Permalink Reply by Boss/MadamBA on
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Miami is the same way...that is why these girls go to the extreme to look perfect. I have never seen anything like it.
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Permalink Reply by Tab on -
They have shown footage of that night...(I hope it was from that night) And from the looks of things, Terri needs to take this as a loss, sorry. There were dudes out there with Tims,large tees and fitteds on backwards. The crowd did not look professional. Ok, grant it, she writes hood novels and wants to be taken as a serious writer, but she should look at it from a different angle. I am judging by the footage. I didn't see anyone dressed as if they were going to a upscale event.
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