Teen Girls Sue Strip Club for Forced Prostitution

The plaintiffs, who were 13 and 15 at the time they worked at Stars Cabaret in Beaverton, Oregon, allege that they were "induced" into prostitution and dancing nude, including at the club's "naughty school girl night." They were also compelled to perform sexual acts and were touched inappropriately by customers and managers, according to the suit.

Both girls are seeking $4 million from strip club chain, Frehoo, Inc., and others for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligent training and/or supervision, failure to provide safety and security, vicarious liability, and violations of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act.

The lawsuits, which were filed July 8 in Washington County, contend that the defendants "promoted and profited from the live presentation of child pornography" by employing the minors and permitting them to engage in "the display of sexually explicit conduct for the gratification" of the club's customers and employees.

Both suits also say the strip club chain and the individual defendants "knew or should have known that" the girls were underage and that "minor females are vulnerable to sexual exploitation."

Steven Toth, a former manager of Stars Cabaret and also a named defendant in the suits, pleaded guilty in 2014 for participating in the prostitution of the 13-year-old. According to OregonLive, Toth testified that "he allowed the girl to strip and perform sex acts on customers because he wanted the extra cash." He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined $150,000 as a result.

Stars Cabaret club co-owner Randy Keiser told Courthouse News via email that prostitution "could not and did not happen," in spite of Toth's testimony and ultimate conviction. Instead, he blamed the plaintiffs for seeking out jobs as strippers.

"With respect to engaging underage dancers, the club implemented a series of steps to provide additional measures to prevent underage persons, who are determined to circumvent the law, from gaining access," Keiser said. "These steps include, but are not limited to, the investment in identification verifying equipment, redundancy in checking identification, engaging a compliance officer, and running background checks."

Earlier this year, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries filed charges against Frehoo and Stars Cabaret for subjecting female minors to sexual harassment.

According to some police and victim advocates, Portland is a national hub for child sex trafficking because of its large number of strip clubs and online services. A Portland State University study found 469 children were identified as victims of commercial sexual exploitation in the Portland metro area between 2009 and 2013. The number of unreported cases could be higher.