Life Time Inc., the Minnesota-based operator of more than 175 large-format fitness and wellness clubs in the United States and Canada, has faced a wide range of legal claims. The most notable Life Time Fitness lawsuit filings fall into five categories: child safety failures at its Kids Academy childcare program, wage-and-hour disputes, personal injury and premises liability claims from members, discrimination charges, and privacy-related class actions. Some have produced multimillion-dollar settlements. Others have been dismissed on the strength of the company’s liability waivers.
Child Safety Cases at Kids Academy
The most serious allegations against Life Time involve children harmed at its in-club childcare centers.
Highland Park Sexual Assault Suit
On March 27, 2026, Dallas firm Aldous Law filed suit in Dallas County District Court against Life Time Fitness, the Kids Academy manager at its Highland Park location, and the facility’s general manager. The complaint alleges a preschool-aged child was repeatedly sexually assaulted by an older child over roughly two years beginning in August 2022, and that the younger child was left unsupervised with the older child in a secluded area of the facility in violation of Life Time’s own policies.1The Dallas Morning News. Life Time Fitness Sued Over Alleged Abuse of Young Child
Dallas police arrested the 12-year-old alleged perpetrator, identified in the lawsuit as the child of the facility’s manager and event supervisor, and charged him with aggravated sexual assault of a child. The family seeks monetary relief in excess of $1 million. Life Time attorney Melanie Cheairs declined to comment on the pending litigation but said “the safety, security and well-being of children in Life Time’s care has always been part of the company’s culture and will remain so.”1The Dallas Morning News. Life Time Fitness Sued Over Alleged Abuse of Young Child
Frisco Childcare Assault Settlement
In July 2023, Paul and Carol Butera sued in Collin County, Texas, alleging their two-year-old son was assaulted by another child at a Life Time childcare center in Frisco in June 2022 and that staff failed to respond to his cries. The claims included negligent hiring, training, and supervision.2PR Newswire. Lawsuit Claims Caregivers Negligence Enabled Child to Abuse 2-Year-Old at Life Time The case moved to federal court in the Eastern District of Texas and settled. On August 12, 2024, a federal judge signed an agreed final judgment approving the settlement, which a guardian ad litem had recommended as being in the minor’s best interest, and dismissed all claims with prejudice.3PACER Monitor. Butera, et al, v. Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Scottsdale Voyeurism Case
In February 2015, Scottsdale-area Life Time employee Edward Orth was arrested and later indicted on 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of voyeurism after allegedly filming a four-year-old girl in a shower stall and uploading the video to a child pornography website. A civil suit alleged Life Time let Orth work in its daycare center without proper fingerprint clearance. The Arizona Department of Health Services had previously cited multiple Life Time childcare facilities in the state for incomplete staff files and missing fingerprint clearance cards.4ABC15. Lawsuit: Life Time Fitness Employee Filmed 4-Year-Old Girl in Shower
Wage-and-Hour Disputes
Life Time has been repeatedly sued and investigated over how it pays trainers, instructors, and hourly staff.
Department of Labor Back Wages
In November 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division announced that Life Time had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by making uniform-cost payroll deductions that dropped worker earnings below the federal minimum wage. The company paid $976,765 to 15,909 employees across 26 states, split between $488,229 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, plus $99,825 in civil penalties. Life Time also had to provide mandatory FLSA compliance training for general managers responsible for hiring and pay practices nationwide.5U.S. Department of Labor. Life Time Fitness to Pay Nearly $1 Million in Back Wages and Damages
Personal Trainer Settlement
In Steger et al. v. LTF Club Operations Co. Inc., filed in the Northern District of Illinois, personal trainers alleged they were required to perform unpaid tasks including cleaning equipment, running fitness assessments, soliciting new business, and attending mandatory classes. Trainers were classified as exempt commission employees, and when their commissions fell short, a “draw” was paid and then deducted from future paychecks. Plaintiffs’ counsel called the arrangement “a sophisticated form of denying people wages.” A motion for conditional class certification was denied in January 2016, but the case eventually settled through mediation for $700,000, covering more than 155 trainers for work between August 2010 and November 2017.6Top Class Actions. $700,000 Settlement Resolves Claims of Wage and Hour Violations Against Life Time Inc.
Group Fitness Instructor Settlement
Former group fitness instructor Jennifer Roth sued in the District of Minnesota in July 2016, claiming Life Time did not pay instructors for setup, cleanup, playlist preparation, and staffing gym events. The case, Roth v. Life Time Fitness, Inc., was brought under the Ohio Prompt Pay Act and unjust enrichment theories on behalf of instructors who taught in Ohio from August 2013 to August 2015. In July 2019, the court granted final approval of a $725,000 class settlement.7Justia. Roth v. Life Time Fitness, Inc. et al
California Hourly Worker Class Action
In Turner v. LTF Club Management Co., LLC, former shift supervisor Samuel Turner brought a class action in the Eastern District of California for more than 7,500 current and former hourly employees. The suit alleged failure to pay overtime, failure to provide meal and rest periods, failure to pay minimum wages, failure to reimburse business expenses, and inaccurate wage statements under California law.8Justia. Turner v. LTF Club Mgmt Co., LLC, et al. A $1.25 million settlement received preliminary court approval in September 2025, with an estimated average payout of about $63 per class member.9Bloomberg Law. Fitness Club Workers Land First Court Nod for Wage Lawsuit Deal
Member Injuries and What the Waiver Does
Life Time membership agreements include assumption-of-risk and release-of-liability provisions, and courts have repeatedly enforced them against injured members. There are limits, though.
Hot Yoga Slip: Skarbnik v. Life Time Fitness
Leah Skarbnik slipped on sweat leaving a hot yoga class at Life Time’s Florham Park, New Jersey club in June 2017 and suffered elbow injuries requiring surgery. In September 2021 the New Jersey Appellate Division affirmed summary judgment for Life Time, holding the Member Usage Agreement’s waiver enforceable and finding that slipping on sweat in a hot yoga class was a risk inherent to the activity rather than an ordinary business slip-and-fall. Her attorney’s attempt to orally amend the complaint at argument to add a gross negligence claim was rejected as procedurally improper, and the appellate court noted the facts would not have supported such a claim anyway.10Justia. Skarbnik v. Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Basketball Court Water: Anast v. LTF Club Operations
Gregory Anast broke his ankle after slipping in standing water near a basketball court at Life Time’s Vernon Hills, Illinois facility, where an employee had recently been mopping. In November 2017 a federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois granted summary judgment to Life Time, ruling that “slippery conditions — and specifically water — on a gym floor is within the scope of dangers that may ordinarily accompany playing basketball” and that the exculpatory clause barred the claim.11Sports Litigation Alert. Judge Holds for Life Time Fitness Center in Case Involving Sufficiency of Waiver
Where the Waiver Failed: Locke v. Life Time Fitness
The widow of a man who collapsed and died playing basketball at a Life Time club sued for wrongful death, alleging staff failed to retrieve an available defibrillator and gave inaccurate information to 911 dispatchers. In 2014, a federal judge in the Northern District of Illinois ruled that while the waiver was not contrary to public policy, it did not specifically cover “inadequate training” of staff. Strictly construed against Life Time under Illinois law, it allowed the wrongful death claim to proceed to the extent it rested on training deficiencies.12Midpage. Locke v. Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Spin Bike Injury: Moltzen v. Life Time Inc.
Mary Moltzen filed suit in November 2025 alleging she fractured her tibia and fibula on a poorly maintained spin bike at a Life Time facility in Bergen County, New Jersey, in December 2023. She required surgery, and the complaint alleges failure to properly maintain the bikes, provide adequate instruction, and address hazardous conditions. The case was removed to federal court in December 2025 and remains pending.13AboutLawsuits.com. Lifetime Fitness Lawsuit Over Unsafe Gym Equipment Injury
Pregnancy Discrimination
In 2016 the EEOC sued Life Time on behalf of Emily Carpenter, who had applied to a role at the Rockville, Maryland club. According to the agency, Carpenter completed two interviews and was told to report for new-hire paperwork, but after disclosing she was 35 weeks pregnant, the company stopped responding and later said the position had been “placed on hold” while two others were hired. The case settled in February 2017 for $86,000 to Carpenter plus a three-year consent decree requiring Life Time to revise its non-discrimination policy to expressly address pregnancy, train Montgomery County managers and hiring personnel annually, and report compliance to the EEOC.14EEOC. Life Time Fitness Will Pay $86,000 to Settle EEOC Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuit
Privacy and Consumer Protection
TCPA Text Message Class Action
In February 2015, parties in a Telephone Consumer Protection Act class action proposed a settlement potentially worth up to $15 million. The suit alleged Life Time used automated software to send unsolicited marketing text messages without prior written consent. Under the proposed terms, class members could choose $100 in cash or a three-month gym membership, and class representatives received $5,000 each.15Klein Moynihan Turco LLP. Life Time Fitness to Pay up to $15 Million to Settle TCPA Class Action
Illinois Biometric Fingerprint Suit
In October 2017, employee Alexander Marshall filed a class action in Cook County, Illinois, alleging Life Time violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act by collecting and storing employee fingerprints for timekeeping without proper consent, without disclosing the purpose of the collection, and without informing employees how long the data would be kept.16American Spa. Life Time Fitness, Crunch Fitness Accused of Collecting Fingerprint Data in Violation of Biometric Act
Florida Locker Room Policy Dispute
Not every threatened action becomes a lawsuit. In May 2025, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier threatened legal action against Life Time over a policy at its Palm Beach Gardens location that let members use locker rooms based on gender identity, which he alleged violated Florida law. Life Time initially said it was reviewing the interpretation, then agreed to comply with the AG’s position that access must be based on the sex listed on government-issued identification. No formal complaint was filed; the matter was resolved through correspondence and a public statement from the company confirming compliance. Uthmeier said the action was meant as a message to “other businesses across the state.”17WFLX. Life Time Reverses Locker Room Policy After Pressure From Florida AG