(FORTUNE Magazine) – Chicago -- Hooters, a national restaurant chain which has achieved notoriety for its scantily clad waitresses, has been accused of sexual discrimination by a man who claims the company refused to hire him as a waiter. In a class-action lawsuit filed . . . in U.S. District Court . . . Savino Latuga alleged that Hooters acted in a discriminatory fashion when it declined to hire him . . . Attorneys familiar with the case said Latuga is seeking . . . damages under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . . . Patricia Casey, an attorney representing Hooters on employment issues . . . said the so-called ''Hooters girl'' is an essential component to the marketing goals of the restaurants . . . Casey said there is nothing illegal about passing over a man for the job of a Hooters girl because only women can meet the ''bona fide occupational qualifications'' for ((the job)) . . . The suit seeks class-action status on behalf of all men who have been denied such positions by Hooters. -- From the BNA Daily Labor Report.