‘BAR RESCUE’ STAR SAVED BY LAWYERS!
TAFFER FACED ASSAULT & DISCRIMINATION SUITS
POPULAR “Bar Rescue” star Jon Taffer has called upon lawyers to rescue him on more than one occasion! In 2014, Las Vegas bar owner Dr. Paul Wilkes, who appeared on the reality show, sued the star and his production company after he alleged Taffer, 65, attacked him for being rude to his wife — but Wilkes claimed he was instructed to do so by producers! Wilkes filed his lawsuit in L.A. Superior Court and sought general, actual and punitive damages, as well as medical and legal expenses, pain and suffering and “other and further relief,” stemming from the dustup on Feb. 11, 2013.
In court documents, Wilkes claimed while shooting an audition tape, he was urged by a casting director to act “outlandish” to secure a spot on the Spike
TV show.
He further charged that a producer urged him to “act out for the cameras” and to approach Taffer’s wife, Nicole, and a friend and “hit on [Mrs. Taffer] hard-core!” according to the complaint.
After Wilkes made a rude remark about Nicole’s body, Taffer, who was watching the exchange on a monitor outside the bar, stormed in to confront him. According to the complaint, Taffer grabbed a drink, threw it at Wilkes and smashed the cup into his kisser. Taffer then allegedly tore off Wilkes’ shirt and tossed a second drink — which the complaint charged had been planted by producers — in the doctor’s face. Finally, Wilkes claimed, Taffer “punched him” before the hyperventilating star collapsed to the floor! The case was settled in arbitration in 2016,
and when contacted by The National INQUIRER, lawyers for both sides refused comment on the details of the arrangement.
In another suit filed in Nevada a year later, Tsang Han Wang — described in the complaint as “an Asian-American male in his late 20s” — claimed Taffer canned him in April 2015 because the “Bar Rescue” boss “preferred to have young, attractive females employed.” Wang charged in court documents that Taffer “discriminated against [him] by unfairly targeting him, due to his race, by treating him disparately and terminating him in order to hire Caucasian females.”
He also alleged in court papers that after Taffer — who did not respond to a request for comment — hired good-looking gals as clerical support, he gave the ladies duties that had been previously assigned to Wang and a male colleague. In addition, Wang claimed he and another male colleague were given tasks outside their expertise to ensure their failure! Soon after, the two men were axed from their jobs.
This case was also settled in arbitration, and Wang’s attorney refused to comment on the details of the agreement.
And while both cases have been settled, one legal expert told The ENQUIRER that neither will be helpful to Taffer’s career.
“Whether either claim rose to the level of credibility is not the issue,” said New York attorney Peter Gleason, who is not involved in either case. “Controversy in front of the camera sells, but behind the scenes, it’s a liability!”