Lawsuit: New York City Businessman Weeded out Minorities

A lawsuit accuses a New York City businessman of using Facebook and MySpace to keep certain minorities from making reservations at his nightclub.

Five former workers at Bowlmor Lanes in Union Square filed the lawsuit in Manhattan state Supreme Court. They say they were fired after objecting to what they described as racially discriminatory practices.

The suit says Tom Shannon allegedly researched prospective patrons on social-networking Web sites to see how they looked and dressed. It says he also wanted terms and conditions for booking events rewritten to prohibit baseball caps, sports jerseys and oversized jeans.

His attorney, Mercedes Colwin, said Shannon’s company, Strike Holdings, was an industry leader in employee diversity.