Pop queen Janet Jackson is facing a $120 million lawsuit after two of her bodyguards allegedly choked a fan so severely that he almost blacked out.

New Yorker Leonard Salati has filed for legal action at Manhattan's Supreme Court, accusing the singer of negligence by hiring the two unnamed bodyguards, reported Internet Media Database.

The 39-year-old says Jackson was friendly when they first met outside the Marquee nightclub and invited him to join her in the VIP area - but her security team turned nasty when he handed her a note.

Salati says: "My cousin knew Janet from (the TV show) 'Fame' back in the 1980s. She told her bodyguards that I was okay and invited me to join her entourage inside."

After chatting to Jackson, Salati momentarily left the room before returning and trying to pass her a hand-written note.

The suit alleged that the bodyguards grabbed Salati around the neck without provocation, choked him, dragged him down the steps and threw him onto the street.

Steven Goldman, Salati's lawyer tells the court: "Witnesses say he was choked so severely they could tell he was gasping for air. We don't know the extent of the spine injury."