Lawsuit claims man was defrauded by dancer; her attorney says ex-boyfriend’s suit is sour grapes

A Las Vegas woman who was working as a dancer at a strip club when she met an Arkansas businessman has filed a motion to dismiss after he sued her, claiming that she conspired to “defraud him out of millions of dollars” during a decade-long relationship.

An attorney for Melanie Beth Sterling said last week that the man, Fred Brunner, has a history of “claiming without merit” that Sterling knowingly bilked millions of dollars out of him after the two met at a Las Vegas strip club in 2014.

“The parties were in a long-term relationship, which should have concluded with each party going their separate ways,” said Jim Jimmerson, attorney for Sterling. “The truth will win the day.”

Last year, Brunner sued his former girlfriend and four others for $3.5 million in compensatory damages and $35 million in punitive damages.

The matter was set to be adjudicated in Arkansas, but a judge there ruled the case should be heard in Nevada. A hearing in Clark County District Court over the motion to dismiss is slated for Oct. 21.

‘Wealthier than her normal patrons’

According to Brunner’s lawsuit, which was filed in District Court in July, Brunner was going through a divorce in June 2014 when he visited a gentleman’s club in Las Vegas and was approached by Sterling, a dancer at the club.

Sterling gave him a private dance, according to the lawsuit. It said that during the private dance, Sterling learned that Brunner “was far wealthier than her normal patrons — wealthy enough to change her life.”

After exchanging phone numbers, Sterling pursued a relationship with Brunner with the intent of defrauding him, the original complaint alleged.

Brunner was “hoodwinked” into thinking Sterling was exclusively in a romantic relationship with him, according to the complaint. It said Sterling offered emotional support as Brunner progressed through divorce proceedings.

During their 10-year relationship, Sterling made over 100 requests for financial support, according to the complaint.

That money was used to pay for a $720,000 home in Las Vegas, the lawsuit said, which was in Sterling’s name.

By Brunner’s own admission in the lawsuit, he sent checks to Sterling “totalling more than $2.1 million” during the relationship.

Though Sterling’s motion to dismiss does describe Brunner as being “generous with his wealth,” the response, filed Aug. 26, said Sterling “was not naive” and that she believed from the start that Brunner “was not the monogamous type.”

But the complaint said that Sterling was instead deceitful about her intentions. It notes that on Dec. 8, 2020, Sterling texted Brunner complaining of “stomach issues” and of “feeling unwell,” despite the fact that a photo posted on a social media site showed Sterling and another man, Shanta Cotright, “eating lobster at The Capital Grille,” a restaurant on the Strip.

Never married, motion says

Sterling’s response said she “understood that a man with plaintiff’s extreme wealth” was “used to getting what he wanted.”

She alleged that Brunner “begged and pleaded for her to come back to him” in 2024 and that, when she didn’t, he sued her, after becoming aware of Sterling’s “friendship” with another man.

“Mr. Brunner has filed four versions of his complaint against Ms. Sterling — three in Arkansas and now one in Nevada,” Jimmerson said. “Ms. Sterling and Mr. Cotright are confident that the court will appropriately adjudicate this dispute.”

Cotright, a Clark County resident, was “covertly engaged in a romantic relationship” with Sterling, according to Brunner’s complaint.

The complaint said that “much of the money plaintiff provided to Sterling was being used by Sterling and Cotright for lavish dinners, parties, trips and purchases.”

Cotright was named as a defendant in Brunner’s lawsuit. The suit alleges that Cotright, who is being represented by Jimmerson, was “at all times aware of Sterling’s relationship” with Brunner.

According to Sterling’s response, Brunner and Stirling were never married, never engaged and never lived in the same house, which essentially means that Sterling doesn’t owe Brunner anything.

“Plaintiff alleges that he fell victim to a 10-year relationship scam,” Stirling’s motion reads. “Haven’t we all. The difference is that everyone else does not sue their ex claiming that they were duped into spending money on them when the relationship does not work out in the end.”

When reached via text message, Aaron Maurice, Brunner’s attorney, declined to comment for this story.

“We are going to address it in court,” Maurice said in the text.

Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.