New York Club Flash Factory Sued for Allegedly Groping Patrons During Searches

The upscale New York nightclub Flash Factory is being sued for allegedly groping patrons during security searches, according to a complaint filed in New York's Supreme Court. Jonathan Corbett and Elise Domyan filed a civil suit yesterday alleging that during a recent visit to the club, the pair were assaulted by security staff employed by the Manhattan venue.

The suit alleges that during a pat down, staff "grabbed Corbett's genitals and lifted Domyan's bra off of her chest to feel her breasts beneath."

In an email to THUMP, Corbett said: "Although by far the most invasive I've seen as a regular attendee of music events, Flash Factory's security is endemic of venues who use their responsibility to keep drugs from their dance floor as an excuse to conduct overly invasive searches."

Corbett, a civil rights advocate, was one of the first people to bring a lawsuit against the TSA over their use of full-body scanners at airports, on the grounds they were an invasion of privacy. In a YouTube video from 2012 viewed more than 2 million times, Corbett claimed the body scanners could not accurately detect weapons. In 2014, a team of researchers confirmed Corbett's theory and credited him for the discovery.

Flash Factory, which is owned by Michael Satsky, opened in Chelsea last year. In the joint suit against the venue, Corbett and Doyman are seeking $100,000 in compensation for battery and negligence from its management.

Doyman told THUMP that she is speaking up against Flash Factory's "inappropriate touching of their patrons." She said: "I enjoy attending nightlife events, but I should not have to be violated in order to do so, and neither should anyone else."

Flash Factory did not respond to THUMP's request for comment.