Police to investigate Justin Hemmes

A 23-year-old man has filed a complaint claiming he suffered "minor wounds" to his groin and mouth after being hit at the Establishment Bar about 2am (AEST) today, police told AAP.

The allegation is the pair had a disagreement over a girl Hemmes was kissing and that the hotelier slapped a man who approached him to leave her alone at about 2.05 am. The man was later escorted from the bar by security.

The Daily Telegraph reported that a guest at the Establishment bar party last night said he witnessed the altercation involving Hemmes, and denied the nightclub boss provoked it.

“Mr Hemmes was sitting with a girl on either side of him, laughing and enjoying the night,” the guest, who apparently did not want to be named said. “...this gentleman has appeared and with all the bravado you can imagine, he has pushed his way into the group and grabbed one of the girls.”

The guest claimed to the newspaper that Hemmes only became involved when the girl appeared distressed by the man’s attention.

“Mr Hemmes stood up to help the girl…this man was spitting on Mr Hemmes as he spoke,” the guest said. He denied Hemmes “slapped” the man, but instead said he acted in self defence.

"I refute the allegations made today by a person regarding an alleged incident during a function last night at Establishment," Mr Hemmes said in a statement later today. "Upon review of the CCTV footage and statements by witnesses, there is absolutely no basis for the allegations to have been made."

Mr Hemmes has been in the spotlight in recent weeks after bouncers at his Ivy nightclub were charged over the vicious bashing of a 19-year-old patron.