NYC comedy club owner sues scary partner

NEW YORK, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The owner of a new comedy club in New York's Time Square says his relationship with his partner has degenerated into threats and intimidation.

The Daily News reported Sunday that Jamie Masada, owner of the Laugh Factory, based in Los Angeles, is suing his partner, Richard Basciano, the owner of a neighboring sex shop, in U.S. District Court. Masada alleges Basciano threatened him if he booked a particular act and also coerced him into signing contracts that cost him a chunk of his profits.

"Never in my life has anything like this happened to me," Masada told the newspaper. "It's scary."

The Daily News said Basciano is one of the last holdouts from Times Square's days as an X-rated place to avoid. The newspaper said Basciano allegedly was once a partner with a ranking member of John Gotti's mob family.