Stripper-turned-lawyer says NYC jiggle joints ignore rape, assaults as they traffic women, ‘disregard life:’ suit
Christine DeMaria wants to buck the strip club status quo. SWITCH CARES
Christine DeMaria, a former exotic dancer who has since become a lawyer, is suing five New York strip clubs and their managers, alleging they trafficked her and allowed customers to sexually assault and physically abuse her.
“When I was dancing, I watched clubs take money to turn a blind eye to what was happening to me and other dancers,” DeMaria, 37, told The Post. She described incidents of sexual assault and violence in private VIP lounges in Manhattan.
“I was bitten above my left breast until it bled. I was sexually assaulted on stage, choked with a belt, and raped against a wall. When I reported a rape, I was fired,” she said.
DeMaria, who grew up in New Jersey, says she was trafficked to Arizona at age 15 by an older man who groomed her. By 2014, she was working as a stripper in New York. She claims managers often dismissed or punished dancers who reported assaults, telling her, “‘You’re a stripper. You asked for this.’ Of course I didn’t ask to be raped.” She also said she endured repeated physical assaults while on the job.
“In the strip club industry, dancers are often forced to choose between accepting sexual abuse or walking away without the means to support themselves,” DeMaria said. “Over and over, I witnessed the owners and managers of strip clubs completely disregard human life.”
DeMaria left the industry in 2021 and pursued a law degree at New York Law School. While in law school, she founded a nonprofit called Switch—Sex Workers in Transition Compassion Home—which provides education, career guidance, and exit support for dancers. In 2023, she received the David Prize from the Walentas Family Foundation, recognizing her advocacy work with a $200,000 award.
After graduating law school in June and passing the bar in July, DeMaria filed lawsuits seeking millions in damages. Her Manhattan Supreme Court filings claim that Sapphire 39 in Midtown and Sapphire 60 on the Upper East Side allowed “rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse, forcible touching, assault, battery, sex trafficking, and unlawful false imprisonment.” She is seeking $10 million in damages.
DeMaria has also sued Vivid Cabaret on West 37th Street and Hoops Cabaret on West 33rd Street, alleging similar abuses and seeking $15 million, and the Long Island club Gossip, citing sexual harassment and gender discrimination, with $2.5 million in damages.
Four former dancers have joined DeMaria’s lawsuit against Sapphire, claiming they too were subjected to sexual violence resulting in physical and emotional harm. “Too many strip clubs operate as if women who agree to dance at their club also agree to be sexually assaulted or even raped,” said lawyer Megan Goddard, representing DeMaria and other plaintiffs.
Sapphire responded, stating, “The first time Sapphire learned of any of Ms. Demaria’s claims was when this suit was filed… Nor has any additional information been provided despite our requests.”
DeMaria hopes her legal actions will spark industry-wide change. “I have devoted my professional life to advocating for strippers, sex workers, and victims of human trafficking,” she said.
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