Houston bar formerly known as Gaslamp settles racial discrimination suit

The Justice Department has settled a discrimination suit involving a Midtown sports bar that denied admission to black, Latino and Asian patrons. The bar and lounge, now named 360 Midtown but formerly operating as the Gaslamp, selectively imposed charges or enforced a dress code against people based on race, according to the settlement. less The Justice Department has settled a discrimination suit involving a Midtown sports bar that denied admission to black, Latino and Asian patrons. The bar and lounge, now named 360 Midtown but formerly ... more Photo: Via Facebook Photo: Via Facebook Image 1 of / 57 Caption Close Houston bar formerly known as Gaslamp settles racial discrimination suit 1 / 57 Back to Gallery

The Justice Department has settled a discrimination suit involving a Midtown sports bar that denied admission to black, Latino and Asian patrons.

The bar and lounge, now named 360 Midtown but formerly operating as the Gaslamp, selectively imposed charges or enforced a dress code against people based on race, according to the settlement.

RELATED: Video: Gaslamp employee says 'have a good night in the 'hood'

"This settlement resolves serious allegations of racial discrimination," said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. "The announcement today should make clear that any such illegal bias in these types of establishments will not be tolerated in this district and reflects my office's continued commitment to vigorously enforcing our nation's civil rights laws."

"No individuals should be denied admission to any place of public accommodation because of the color of their skin," said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Gore of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

The bar owner agreed to cease these discriminatory practices and begin monitoring employees to make sure they comply with the agreement.

"My clients are satisfied," said Ike Okorafor, one of three attorneys for the three African-American men who were charged a cover to enter the bar. "You can't sit down and take discrimination. It wasn't about the money but more about the treatment of minorities and making sure this doesn't happen to anybody else."

Timothy Sutherland, the attorney representing the bar, declined to comment on Thursday afternoon.

The lawsuit accused the bar of forcing African American, Latino and Asian American patrons toto pay a $10 to $20 cover charge before they could enter the business at the corner of Brazos and Hadley streets.

RELATED: Black customers accuse Houston's Gaslamp bar of discriminatory cover charge; bar says 'no'

The owner, Ayman Jarrah, and his company, did not require a similar cover charge for white patrons, according to court documents.

Federal prosecutors said previously that photographs appearing on social media promoting Gaslamp showed white customers wearing clothing similar to that worn by black patrons who were weren't allowed inside.

"At the time of the incident, Gaslamp did not have a dress code posted and the Gaslamp website did not contain a dress code," according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit cites a September 11, 2015, incident where three African American customers were told they couldn't enter the three-story nightclub unless they paid a $20 cover charge while white patrons were allowed to enter the premises for free.

The patrons, who are all attorneys, sued the bar and its owner, saying they were "deeply offended by this racist and discriminatory treatment."

RELATED: Feds file discrimination suit against owners of Midtown bar Gaslamp

Brandon Ball, Dan Scarbrough and Ken Piggee said that when they approached the doors of Gaslamp, the doormen immediately told them that to enter, they had to pay $20.

Deciding against it, the trio went to a nearby bar and later walked by Gaslamp.

"We're looking, and there are white people going in and getting their hands stamped," Ball told the Chronicle in 2015. "They were going in and not paying anything."

The three sat and watched the door for some time, they said last year, watching white customers enter free of charge and minorities get turned away. They said they spoke with the others as they were turned away.

When the allegations were first raised, Sutherland said the men were charged to keep a favorable female-to-male ratio inside the club.

"The issue is, anytime you're a group of three guys, you're going to pay a cover," attorney Tim Sutherland told the Chronicle in 2015.