Equinox Luxury Fitness Club Ordered to Pay Woman $11.3M in Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

 

A jury awarded Röbynn Europe, a former personal trainer at Equinox, $11.3 million after she filed a case against the upscale health club, alleging that she was fired for criticizing racism and sexism at the business.

According to CBS News, the verdict mandated that Equinox pay Europe $1.25 million in compensatory damages along with punitive damages of $10 million. In addition, she received an additional $16,000 in economic damages for unpaid wages.

Europe began working at the exclusive fitness facility in 2018, and in 2019 she was promoted to manage a team of 15 employees. But soon after taking on that position, the Black woman alleged that a White employee fostered a “toxic atmosphere” by making several nasty remarks about the bodies of Black women. The White employee reportedly objected about being forced to work for Europe.

Less than a year after Europe started working there, the employer ultimately let her go. The Black lady said in the 2020 lawsuit that she was actually fired for raising concerns about racism and sexism at the fitness club, despite the fact that the firm claimed they fired her because she frequently arrived to work late. The retaliation charge was rejected by the judge presiding over the case, but she permitted the trial to proceed with the racial and gender discrimination allegations at its center.

According to the lawsuit, Europe’s alleged incident at Equinox affected her mental health, caused her “substantial emotional distress,” and made her bulimia worse, according to CBS News.

“The jury sent a loud message to Equinox that there are serious consequences for corporations that permit racist and sexist behavior in the workplace,” Europe’s attorney, Susan Crumiller, said in a statement.

“We are also pleased that the jury found Equinox’s racism had a severe and lasting impact on Röbynn’s mental health and that she deserved to be compensated for it.”

Europe worked at one of the gym’s locations in New York City, as did the White employee who is accused of uttering the offensive remarks. Although Europe complained about the employee’s behavior, the lawsuit claimed that instead of dealing with and resolving those complaints, the firm “targeted” the employee for “reprisals”.

For her tardiness, the firm allegedly targeted Europe. The Black lady acknowledged that she occasionally arrived late for work, but insisted that other employees who occasionally did the same were not disciplined.

The lawsuit also alleged Europe “was never late for a training appointment with a client, never kept a client waiting, and regularly stayed an hour or more past the end of her shift regardless of what time she had arrived.”

The lawsuit claimed that the White man who was accused of making the racist and sexist remarks was one of the employees who “often left work early without repercussions” and “regularly arrived at work well after their official start times without consequence.”

According to CBS News, the lawsuit also claimed that the Black lady felt she was “being singled out for selective enforcement of time and attendance policies in retaliation for having engaged in legally protected activities” as a result of how the corporation handled tardiness.

Her lawyer stated that “swipe-in data” that was made available during the trial showed that reporting and attendance times of other Equinox colleagues were worse than Europe’s – though she was the only employee who faced punishment.

Responding to the decision by the jury in a statement, Equinox said it does not entertain “any form” of discrimination. “This is a case of termination for performance related to attendance, and nothing more,” the company said.

“[W]e vehemently disagree with the jury’s finding, as well as the unjust and excessive award, and have filed a motion seeking to have the judge overturn the jury’s decision.”

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