Personal Trainer Sues Life Time Fitness for Sexual Harassment
advertisement
Interact With Us
Best of 2011
Top Stories of 2011
The most popular stories of 2011. Did your favorites make our list?
Resource Center
Buyers Guide
Find industry businesses by product or service categories, view company profiles and more.
Club Industry Trade Show
Club Industry Show and Conference, held each October, is the premier event for fitness and wellness professionals. Find out more about Exhibitors, Events, and Education.
Industry Events & Trade Shows
The industry-wide calendar features listings for educational events, trade shows and more.
Classifieds
View classified ads for health club equipment and services, plus business opportunities and job postings.
Current Issue
Read stories from the latest print issue of Club Industry magazine.
Club info and News
Read news about some of the biggest names in the industry.
- 24 Hour Fitness
- Anytime Fitness
- Bally Total Fitness
- Crunch Fitness
- Club One
- Curves
- Equinox
- Gold's Gym
- Health Fitness Corp.
- LA Fitness
- Life Time Fitness
- Lifestyle Family Fitness
- Planet Fitness
- Plus One Management
- Powerhouse Gyms
- Snap Fitness
- Spectrum Athletic Clubs
- Sport & Health
- Town Sports International
- Sports Club Co.
- Urban Active
- Wellbridge
- Western Athletic Clubs
- World Gym
E-Newsletter Signup
Breaking news on the industry, people on the move, mergers and acquisitions and much more. Delivered weekly.
A former Life Time Fitness trainer is suing the Chanhassen, MN-based company on the grounds of sexual harassment and retaliation.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Lisa Ryan Flores of Cypress, TX, on May 19 in Harris County (TX) District Court against Life Time and Todd Buckland, a Life Time employee who was Flores’s team leader. Flores accuses Buckland of inappropriate and unwanted sexual behavior.
In July 2009, Flores was transferred from Life Time’s Cinco Ranch location to its Houston City Centre location, where the alleged behavior took place, according to the complaint. Among other accusations, Flores claims Buckland put his hand down her pants and would send her unwanted text messages outside of work late at night.
After reporting the alleged sexual advances around Sept. 1, 2009, Flores claims Life Time led a campaign of retaliation against her, and that led to her wrongful termination. The tactics, Flores claims, included demoting her, which reduced her income. She claims Life Time’s corporate human resources department scolded her because she asked club managers about Buckland’s status at the club.
On Oct. 21, 2009, Flores filed claims of harassment and subsequent retaliation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Civil Rights Division of the Texas Workforce Commission. During mediation, Flores was fired by Leslie Simoneau, general counsel for Life Time Fitness, according to the complaint.
In addition to sexual harassment and retaliation, Flores is suing on the grounds of assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She is seeking damages that include back pay, punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.
Life Time says it does not comment on legal matters.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2012 Penton Media Inc.
Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus