SAN FRANCISCO -- Two former employees of 24 Hour Fitness, whose discrimination claims against the company were made public in January, filed a lawsuit against the San Ramon, CA-based chain on Thursday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
Former Bay Area district managers Paul Drobot and Reginald Allison claim they were harassed, demoted and forced to leave their jobs for complaining about an atmosphere of racism and homophobia at the company, multiple media outlets report. The lawsuit claims that 24 Hour retaliated against Drobot and Allison after they reported objectionable remarks by their supervisors and that their complaints were ignored.
Drobot and Allison left 24 Hour about a year ago. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission upheld their complaints last year.
In a statement, 24 Hour says it is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to providing a work environment “free from unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation.”
“We firmly deny the charges made in this case, and we expect to prevail when all the facts are heard,” 24 Hour said in its statement.