Tampa’s Thee Dollhouse may be in hot water and it’s not because of the strip club’s poor spelling. Three models not affiliated with the club are suing Thee Dollhouse for a combined $280,000 over unauthorized use of their photos.
Ashley Vickers, who has worked as a spokeswoman for NASCAR and an emcee for the Memphis Grizzlies professional basketball team, alleges a photo of her was posted to the strip club’s Facebook page alongside text that read, “who’s coming to play with me tonight?”
Two others, Jessica Hinton and Hillary Vinson, also argue their photos were stolen from the Internet and used to promote the strip club in brochures and various other advertising means.
Vinson was Miss Playboy Club of the Year in 2011. Hinton was Playmate of the month during that same year.
The three are represented by Sarah Cabaracas of the Casas law firm. That’s the same attorney behind nine lawsuits against strip clubs in Palm Beach County citing similar infractions.
The $280,000 lawsuit is derived from the amount the plaintiffs claim their photos were worth though it’s unclear how they came to that calculation.
It isn’t the first time Thee Dollhouse has found itself facing a lawsuit. They were named in a lawsuit against an automotive “hospitality” company where the plaintiff claimed that CEO frequently had sex with strippers from the club. Another suit filed by Thee Dollhouse’s general manager sought damages against his former mistress for falsely accusing him of stalking and theft.
The Tampa strip club is considered a hotbed of problems.
The three plaintiffs attempted to settle their case before filing litigation. In a letter sent to the company, they asked for an unknown amount of compensation to avoid litigation. That letter also asked that Thee Dollhouse not destroy photos that may be used as evidence in a lawsuit.
Thee Dollhouse is located at 1010 N. Westshore Blvd.
