Battle shapes up for Ladies Night

CHERRY HILL, N.J. – A local nightclub owner vowed Wednesday to fight a state decision that his Ladies Night promotion discriminates against men.

“I’m going to appeal it because it’s wrong,” said Chris Mourtos, who runs the Coastline bar and restaurant. “I’m outraged.”

Meanwhile, state officials appeared to differ over the finding, which could have a sweeping impact on New Jersey’s bars and restaurants.

Gov. James E. McGreevey criticized as “bureaucratic nonsense” the decision by his own Division on Civil Rights.

“It is an overreaction that reflects a complete lack of common sense and good judgment,” he said.

But Attorney General Peter Harvey praised the division and its director, Frank Vespa-Papaleo.

Harvey said the practice of females-only discounts “has been invalidated in other states, including California, Iowa and Florida.”

At the same time, he said, “This case is a very small portion of the division’s work and does not represent a key priority.”

In a decision Tuesday, Vespa-Papaleo said females-only discounts at the Coastline violated state law as a form of gender-based bias.

The case began in June 1998, when a man complained to the state after he was required to pay a $5 cover charge at the Coastline’s weekly Ladies Night event, while women entered for free. Men also paid full price for drinks, while women received a discount.

Mourtos, who found himself in a media frenzy Wednesday with reporters calling from as far away as London, said he plans to revise the Ladies Night promotion due to the state’s decision.

“As it stands right now, we’re going to charge a cover for everybody and offer a drink discount to everybody,” he said.

The complaining patron, identified only as David R. Gillespie, could not be reached for comment. He was represented in the bias complaint by state attorneys.

An administrative law judge now will consider possible remedies to the complaint, which could include an injunction against Ladies Night events, as well as monetary awards for Gillespie.

Mourtos said the state’s decision threatens a promotion that’s popular with both customers and bar owners.

“Ladies Night was never intended to discriminate,” he said, noting that nine bartenders typically work at his weekly event. “It’s intended to take a weeknight that’s normally slow and to bring people into your business.”

He said 70 percent of patrons at the events are men, drawn by the women.

But Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union-New Jersey, called the state’s decision “an appropriate ruling.

“Obviously there are many more stark examples of inequality and we should be addressing them vigorously,” she said. “But any chipping away at inequality is a good thing.”