The Personal Injury Attorney Near Me Palisades Park, NJ, You Can Trust

A Bergen County nude spa must provide training on gender identity and gender expression to current and new employees, as part of a settlement agreement reached between the spa and a transgender woman who said in a lawsuit that the spa violated New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination (LAD).

New Jersey Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Sarlo has signed a consent order, making the agreement between Super King Sauna NJ LLC, which does business as King Spa and Sauna, in Palisades Park and Alexandra Goebert of Watertown, New York, legally binding.

Goebert, who had not undergone gender-affirming surgery at the time of her visit, alleged in her complaint that the business would not let her access the female side of the spa unless she covered up. She said an employee handed her a wristband designated for male clients after she provided her driver’s license saying she is female and that the manager asked if she had “changed your front,” then clarifying the question by asking if Goebert “had boy parts.”

“Plaintiff replied that she did not have any ‘boy parts’ because she is a woman,” said the complaint, which was filed with the court May 17, 2023.

Goebert inferred that the manager was asking whether she had undergone gender-affirming surgery, also known as “bottom surgery,” and she responded that she had not, according to the complaint.

The manager then told Goebert she would not be allowed on the female side of the spa, and Goebert responded she would not feel comfortable on the male side, the complaint said.

King Spa and Sauna is a Korean spa that requires full nudity in certain areas.

After Goebert said she would not feel comfortable on the male side, the manager left to get the general manager to speak with her, according to the complaint.

The general manager told Goebert she would be allowed in areas such as the sauna and hot tubs only if she wore a bathing suit, but Goebert replied that she didn’t have one, since the spa mandated nudity in these areas, the complaint said.

After Goebert said she didn’t have a bathing suit, the general manager left to speak with the spa’s “legal counsel and/or Vice President” about the situation and upon returning, told Goebert the spa would provide uniform shorts for her to wear in the nude areas, the complaint said.

Goebert responded by saying she would not wear the uniform shorts in those areas unless the spa was requiring every woman to do so, explaining the spa was discriminating against her because of her gender identity, according to the complaint.

Further, Goebert said in the complaint that she informed the general manager of New Jersey law, specifically the LAD, calling up the statute on her phone and reading it aloud.

Still, the general manager would not allow Goebert to use the female-designated spa services and facilities, telling her she needed to “think about the other guests” and how they would feel if she were allowed to do so, the complaint said.

“Plaintiff went back and forth with Defendants’ staff and management for approximately two hours, in view and hearing of other female customers who were permitted to use all of the facilities that they had paid for, unlike Plaintiff,” Goebert’s complaint said.

In addition to the required training, the judge agreed in the consent order that the spa needs to implement a policy prohibiting discrimination based on “sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression” and distribute it to employees. The spa also needs to post the policy at the front desk, at the entrance to each sex-segregated area of the spa and on its website, the order said.

Goebert’s attorney, Miriam S. Edelstein of Costello & Silverman LLC in Mt. Laurel, did not respond to a message requesting comment nor did the spa’s attorneys, Paul Faugno and Missy Duarte of Faugno Weis Duarte Law Group LLC in Hackensack.

A spa in Bergen County must allow transgender women into female-only areas regardless of surgery, a judge ordered.

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Korean spa in Bergen County must allow transgender women into its female-only nude areas, regardless of whether they've had surgery, a judge ruled recently.

King Spa & Sauna in Palisades Park agreed in August to allow customers who identify as women into the nude sauna and hot tubs as part of a consent order.

According to court documents, Alexandra Goebert sued the spa in Palisades Park back in May 2023 after she was troubled by an interaction with staff.

Goebert, a New York State resident, said she had used the spa in August 2022 but was restricted from some areas.

She said that at first, she entered the spa and presented her driver license, which identifies her as female.

When she checked in, she says, she was given an armband for women, meaning she could access the "women only" parts of the spa. These include the hot tubs and sauna, where nudity is mandatory.

The suit explains, "Plaintiff is transgender, meaning that her gender identity (female) was different from the sex she was assigned at birth (male)."

Goebert said she asked a staff member about certain services, like a rub or massage, the staff member then spoke with a manager, who, in turn, spoke with Goebert.

According to the suit, the manager then asked Goebert, "Have you changed your front?"

When Goebert requested clarification, the manager asked if she had "boy parts," and she responded that she did not, because she's a woman.

Then, Goebert realized the manager was asking about "gender affirming" or "bottom surgery," she says in the suit. She told the manager that she had not had it.

According to Goebert, the manager said she was restricted from the "female side" of the spa, but Goebert replied that she wouldn't feel comfortable on the male side.

She pulled up anti-discrimination laws on her phone and read them to the manager and staff, she says, but she was still restricted from those areas. She then left.

The suit asked for a jury trial and said the denial of services caused Goebert "economic and non-economic harm."

Agreed To An Order

In August of this year, both parties agreed to a consent order to be signed by a judge.

Bergen County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Sarlo signed off on the order, which was to be implemented within 30 days.

As part of the order, the spa agreed to change its policies, signage, and advertising to say that "individuals shall be given access and admitted entry to all such services and facilities in accordance with the individual’s gender identity or expression."

The order addresses pronouns and names as well, saying that staff must address clients "by the name and pronouns that correspond to that individual’s gender identity, upon request. A court-ordered name or gender change is not required."

The order says, "If any client feels uncomfortable using communal areas requiring partial or full nudity for any reason, regardless of whether the discomfort is because of or increased by the possibility that they may see or be seen by transgender clients in those areas, the client experiencing such discomfort may request the use of private facilities instead."

Goebert told NJ.com this month that she is satisfied with the agreement, saying that "policy changes" were all she really wanted.

Kimchi Korean Restaurant Inc., known for its traditional Korean flavors and homestyle hospitality, has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing was made in the New Jersey Bankruptcy Court, and the restaurant plans to stay open while restructuring its debts.

Kimchi Korean Restaurant Inc. Filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Kimchi Korean Restaurant Inc. operates a single Korean BBQ restaurant under the name Yook92 at 425 Grand Avenue, Palisades Park, NJ 07650. The company filed for bankruptcy on October 28, 2025, under the case number 2:25-bk-21432.

According to PacerMonitor, attorney Stephen B. McNally of McNally Law, LLC is representing the company in court. The company reported between one and 49 creditors, with estimated assets of $0 to $50,000—well below its listed liabilities of $1 million to $10 million.

On October 29, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey issued an Order to Show Cause in the Chapter 11 case of Kimchi Korean Restaurant Inc., operator of Yook92 in Palisades Park. The order directs the company to explain why its case should not be dismissed after several required documents were not submitted with its initial filing. Missing materials include financial schedules, statements of assets and liabilities, a list of equity holders, and other disclosures needed to complete the bankruptcy record.

The court has scheduled a hearing for November 25, 2025, in Newark to determine whether the business may continue under Chapter 11 protection. The company must file the missing documents or provide a valid explanation to keep the case active.

While such procedural orders are common early in bankruptcy proceedings, failure to comply could result in dismissal, ending the restaurant’s protection as it seeks to restructure under Subchapter V.

Although Kimchi Korean Restaurant Inc. is undergoing restructuring under Chapter 11, the move could mean that the restaurant stands a chance of financial recovery and survival in the local food industry. The progress of the case will further define the strategy on how the business will sail to its recovery.