Valleywide : Men Sue Health Club, Claim Discrimination

A class action lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles Superior Court against Bally’s and Holiday Spa Health Club Inc. on behalf of male members who were allegedly sexually discriminated against by the club’s “women only” workout rooms in its Van Nuys and West Los Angeles facilities.

The suit, filed Monday, asks for unspecified damages, including $1,000 for each man who has been a club member since 1993. It also seeks a permanent injunction that would make it illegal for the club to maintain workout rooms for women without earmarking other rooms for men, said Kenneth M. Lipton, an attorney representing one of the suit’s plaintiffs.

“Men pay the same membership fees as women, but have access to only two-thirds of the [facility],” said Lipton. “It’s not fair.”

Plaintiff A. George Bragg, a member of the club since 1983, said that the women only workout rooms violate his civil rights. “I complained to management about it but nothing was done,” he said. “The lawsuit was the only answer to the problem.”