( CNN ) -- The police beating of a California homeless man has spawned a civil lawsuit in which a bar doorman claims he was fired after he cooperated with investigators and claimed his manager made a false report to police about the homeless man 's activities . Michael Reeves , who also worked as a security guard , is suing his former employer , the Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen in Fullerton , California , for more than $ 4 million , according to the lawsuit . Eric Dubin , attorney for Slidebar and its owner Jeremy Popoff , said Reeves ' claims are `` completely false and fabricated . '' Reeves `` was simply fired for getting confrontational with a manager after he let girls in a side door , '' Dubin said in an e-mail to CNN . `` He never mentioned any of these alleged claims to ( the ) DA when interviewed , during his sworn employment hearings for unemployment , nor in his signed termination papers last year . '' Popoff , who 's also a guitarist and singer in the rock band Lit , is about to release an album , and the `` bogus '' lawsuit was timed to that release , Dubin charged . `` We will fight this with everything we have , '' Dubin said . According to the suit , Reeves ' manager called police on July 5 , 2011 , to falsely report that `` Kelly Thomas is in the parking lot breaking into cars . '' Councilmen face recall over alleged beating death in California . Thomas , 37 , a homeless man with schizophrenia , was severely beaten by Fullerton police and he later died in the hospital . In connection with his death , Officer Manuel Ramos , 37 , is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter , and Cpl . Jay Patrick Cicinelli , 39 , is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony use of excessive force . They have pleaded not guilty . On Wednesday , Reeves issued a statement in which he stated that `` a Slidebar manager called Fullerton Police and I heard her report that Kelly Thomas was in the parking lot breaking into cars . `` I knew her report to be false . I complained about that false report that night to my manager and continued to complain about the false report until the date I was terminated , on September 23 , 2011 , '' said Reeves , who was hired in March 2010 . Reeves said in the lawsuit that Thomas was n't breaking into cars but rather was in a parking lot picking up cigarette butts . Reeves refused to adopt his employer 's `` false mantra that 'Slidebar had nothing to do with Kelly Thomas ' death , ' `` said the lawsuit , filed last week . When managers realized `` that they , too , could face legal consequences for their involvement , not to mention the harm it would cause to Slidebar 's and ( its owners ' ) images , they decided to terminate Mr. Reeves to keep him and law enforcement investigators as far away from Slidebar as possible , '' the lawsuit said . Reeves was terminated two days after prosecutors announced they were pursuing criminal charges against Fullerton police officers , the lawsuit said . According to a review of the Thomas incident by an independent consultant hired by the Fullerton City Council , police received a call from a woman who referred to Thomas as `` Kelly '' and said he was `` roaming the parking lot , '' `` looking in cars , '' `` pulling on handles , '' and `` pacing through the cars and between each car , '' the consultant 's report said . The Orange County District Attorney 's office was n't commenting Wednesday on the civil suit 's accusation of a false police report , a spokeswoman said . `` Just in general , we do n't comment on investigations , '' chief of staff Susan Kang Schroeder of the district attorney 's office told CNN . The Slidebar website says the independently owned and operated establishment offers food , drinks and live music . `` We pride ourselves in offering a cool environment , free from idiots . So do n't act like one , or you will be asked to leave -- very politely of course . Have fun , rock on , be yourself ... just be cool , '' the website says . City pays $ 1 million to mother of homeless man beaten to death by police . 'Daddy , help ! They 're killing me ! ' CNN 's Casey Wian and Lindy Hall contributed to this report .
NEW : Lawsuit is `` bogus '' and `` completely false and fabricated , '' defense attorney says . Michael Reeves is a doorman at Slidebar Rock-N-Rock Kitchen in Fullerton , California . He was fired for allegedly stealing food from the restaurant on August 15 of this year. Kelly Thomas , the homeless man , was just picking up cigarette butts in a parking lot , Reeves claims .