Lawsuit planned amid Gaslamp racial allegations

Three black customers said they were asked to pay a cover charge at Houston's Gaslamp bar while white customers were not asked to pay a cover. Since the men's story was made public, similar accusations toward the Midtown nightclub have also surfaced. An attorney for Gaslamp said the men were charged the cover to discourage a too-high men-to-women ratio among patrons. less Three black customers said they were asked to pay a cover charge at Houston's Gaslamp bar while white customers were not asked to pay a cover. Since the men's story was made public, similar accusations toward ... more Photo: Via Facebook Photo: Via Facebook Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close Lawsuit planned amid Gaslamp racial allegations 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

It's been about a month since three black attorneys said they were stopped at the door of a Midtown nightclub and asked to pay a cover, as white patrons walked into the bar free of charge.

Two of those men are speaking out at a news conference Friday to discuss the legal action they plan to pursue against Gaslamp. Brandon Ball, Dan Scarbrough and Ken Piggee — all attorneys — said when they got to the doors of Gaslamp, at the corner of Brazos and Hadley streets, the doormen said they had to pay $20 to enter.

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According to the men, the popular Midtown bar charged cover charges only to non-white patrons and turned other minorities away under the guise of "dress code violations."

Since the accusations were made public, other customers also have claimed Gaslamp has discriminatory practices. The nightclub has denied the charges, saying they deny patrons entry based on dress or male-to-female ratios inside the bar.

Ball posted on social media Thursday that the news conference will address their legal action, as well as the need for an equal rights ordinance in Houston. According to the post, the men "have been forced to make a costly, federal case out of the incident because there is no local equal rights ordinance on the books."

The conference is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday outside Gaslamp at 2400 Brazos Street.

Click the slideshow to learn more about the Gaslamp incident.