Posted on: July 10, 2024, 08:48h.
Last updated on: July 10, 2024, 08:52h.
An Arkansas man is suing a Las Vegas exotic dancer for $38.5 million, claiming that she “hoodwinked [him] into thinking they were in an exclusive, romantic relationship” for 10 years.
According to KNWA-TV/Fayetteville — which obtained a copy of the lawsuit and broke the story Wednesday — Fred Brunner claims to have given Melanie Sterling $3.5 million in cash and gifts since 2014 — much of which she turned over to her real boyfriend in Las Vegas — in addition to funding multiple trips and even a home for her.
Brunner’s lawsuit seeks at least $3.5 million in compensatory damages and $35 million in punitive damages.
In his suit, Brunner states that he was going through a divorce when he visited an unnamed Las Vegas gentleman’s club to “smoke a cigar and have a few cocktails.”
While at the club, he met Sterling, whom Brunner’s lawsuit claims earned “a significant amount of money” from him that night. This gave Sterling the impression Brunner was “far wealthier than her normal patrons — wealthy enough to change her life.”
The lawsuit alleges that Sterling communicated with Brunner on the daily for 10 years, creating the charade of a relationship for her own financial gain.
“All along, she had no intention of following through on her representations, doing only that necessary to keep [the] plaintiff from becoming suspicious of her actual intentions,” the lawsuit claims.
