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• The first member of the elite sex club Snctm, Phuong Tran, was barred for life and accused of bullying the founder's 12-year-old daughter on Instagram, the club said in a statement obtained by MailOnline.
• Known as "Bunnyman," Tran has been a vocal critic of the club, which hosts exclusive sex parties and offers several expensive membership tiers.
• Rumored guests at its events include Gwyneth Paltrow and Bill Maher.

 

In the movie "Eyes Wide Shut," Tom Cruise's character attended sex parties similar to those held by Snctm.

 

A feud is erupting between an elite club's founder and its most notorious member — and it could threaten the privacy of wealthy people who belong to the club.

Snctm, a Los Angeles sex club for the rich, is making headlines for kicking out a member and announcing his ban.

Phuong Tran — known by his character name, "Bunnyman" — has been expelled from the club "for behavior unbecoming of a Snctm member" the club said in a statement released to members and obtained by MailOnline.

According to MailOnline, the statement says Tran "stooped so low as to contact our founder's 12-year-old daughter on Instagram with messages that hurt her deeply."

"This was the final straw," it said.

Tran, who is in his mid-30s, is the son of Vietnamese refugees. According to Esquire, he's a manager at a Fortune 500 company. Another Esquire report says that outside of the club, his interests include "scotch, cigars, fine tobacco pipes, and post-WWII contemporary art."

He became the first member of Snctm in 2012, but his experience soured over time. In an Instagram post in November on his Bunnyman account with the caption "The Snctm Family is Dead, Long Live Sanctum Club," Tran deplored the plight of the once "magical place."

"The pillars (privacy, safety, and exploration) that sustained the Club have crumbled," Tran said in the post.

Tran has accused the club's founder, Damon Lawner, of leaking names of celebrity guests to the media. Rumored attendees include Bill Maher and Gwyneth Paltrow, who has published a Q&Awith Lawner on her website, Goop.

The ongoing rift between Lawner and Tran is not new. Tran vocally opposed the club's participation in the reality show "Naked Snctm" on Showtime. And in his Instagram post, Tran described Lawner — referring to him only as "the Founder" — as the club's "Achilles' heel."

Tran said Lawner "lacked any sort of pedigree, class, and experience," mentioning "email outbursts and juvenile antics."

In the Instagram post, Tran said he would leave the club because it had repeatedly cast a performer with an STD. Tran's account includes a link to SnctmUsedtoBeCool.com.

According to MailOnline, Snctm said in the statement: "We have never done this before. Phuong's actions are despicable, and we are compelled to announce the truth."

The club said it was taking measures to protect the privacy of members.

"We feel it necessary to shine light on his disgusting behavior, taking the extraordinary step to expose one of our former members so that our growing community knows to avoid him," the statement said, adding: "Nothing he says may be relied upon, and he is now outside our circle forever."

Snctm offers several expensive membership tiers. Basic membership is $20,000 a year, while the Violet Key membership requires a one-time payment of $1 million, MailOnline reported. Tran called its addition "a hilarious slight to the current Dominus members."

The Dominus membership — the type Tran lost — is available to only 20 people worldwide and costs $75,000.

To attend a Snctm party, a guest must have filled out an online questionnaire, submitted photos of their face and body, and completed an interview with Lawner.