Todd Borowsky, the operator of two well-known Scottsdale gentlemen's clubs, has filed a federal lawsuit that accuses the City of Scottsdale and the Scottsdale Police Department of running a years-long "sham" investigation that he says gutted his businesses and smeared their reputations. The complaint targets more than a dozen current and former officers and city staffers and claims police pushed inflated reports tied to earlier allegations that patrons were drugged and charged huge sums. Borowsky, who is the brother of Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky, argues the conduct violated his constitutional rights and is asking for damages and internal police records. The case is the latest turn in a dispute that traces back to civil claims and criminal inquiries first reported between 2021 and 2024.
New federal filing and who’s named
The lawsuit was filed in March in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and is listed as case number CV-26-01961. The plaintiffs are Wisnowski Incorporated (doing business as Skin Cabaret), Freedom of Expression LLC (doing business as Bones Cabaret) and Todd Borowsky. They bring civil-rights claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Summonses have gone out to the city and more than a dozen individual defendants as the case moves through the early pleading stage, according to the public federal docket on Justia Dockets & Filings.
What the complaint alleges
The amended complaint portrays Scottsdale officers as carrying out a coordinated push to paint Skin Cabaret and Bones Cabaret as criminal operations. It says investigators "fixated" on the clubs, drafted talking points for the media and advanced allegations that damaged day-to-day business. According to the filing, investigators brushed aside what the plaintiffs describe as "overwhelming evidence" undermining claims of criminal conduct, did not interview dancers or management and contacted banks and other financial institutions in ways that led to lost banking relationships and steep drops in revenue. Those accusations are spelled out in the court papers and summarized in local coverage from Arizona's Family.
Backstory: drugging claims and earlier suits
The new filing comes on the heels of separate civil lawsuits brought by nearly 20 men who say they were drugged in VIP rooms and later woke up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in credit-card charges they insist they did not authorize. Local reporting in 2024 detailed those claims and the resulting law-enforcement scrutiny involving Skin Cabaret, Bones Cabaret and the Dream Palace in Tempe. Coverage by KJZZ and a strip club shakedown report laid out the earlier civil claims and the public attention that followed.
Police response and timeline
The Scottsdale Police Department told reporters it does not comment on pending litigation. The complaint notes that a related criminal investigation was closed in May 2025 and that, according to reporting, the Arizona Attorney General's Office concluded there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction. Those developments were recounted in local news coverage. Borowsky's attorney, Dennis Wilenchik, has told reporters the civil allegations against the clubs are false and that the lengthy investigation has "tremendously impacted" their operations.
Legal implications
Because the plaintiffs are proceeding under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the case could open a window into internal Scottsdale police records, including emails, investigative files and policy documents, if it survives early legal challenges. The complaint asks for a jury trial and unspecified damages. For now, court records show the case sitting at the summons-and-pleadings phase, with attorneys on both sides preparing for the first round of motions and discovery, according to the public docket on Justia Dockets & Filings.
What’s next
The city and the mayor's office had not offered detailed public comment while local outlets sought reaction. Legal observers expect a stretch of motion practice before any documents change hands. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say they plan to pursue full discovery, while city attorneys will decide whether to move to dismiss or try to narrow the claims. Court filings, and any public responses from city officials, are likely to set the tone for how this politically sensitive family-and-city-hall showdown unfolds.
