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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2025
Equinox Holdings to Pay $48,000 in EEOC Disability and Sex Discrimination Suit
Settles Federal Lawsuit Alleging Fitness Company Rejected an Applicant Due to Her 'Monthly Cycle'
WASHINGTON – Equinox Holdings, Inc., which owns and operates fitness facilities nationwide, will pay $48,000 and provide other relief to resolve a disability and sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
According to the EEOC’s suit, Equinox rejected a female applicant with endometriosis and experience working for other fitness companies after she requested that her second-round interview for a front desk associate position be delayed by a few days due to her painful menstrual cramps. Equinox responded with an email saying she would not be hired, including that her qualifications were “excellent.” The manager who interviewed the applicant explained to her via text that she had been passed over “[o]nly because [of] the concern in the future if your absence may occur due to your monthly cycle,” according to the suit.
Such alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibit discrimination on the bases of disability and sex, respectively. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Equinox Holdings, Inc., Civil Action No. 1:24-cv-03597) in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after first attempting to reach a prelitigation settlement through its conciliation process.
In addition to providing monetary relief to the aggrieved applicant, the two-year consent decree resolving the suit requires Equinox to implement certain anti-discrimination policies to ensure compliance with the ADA and Title VII, including a procedure for applicants and employees to request reasonable accommodations, and to post a notice about employee rights under federal anti-discrimination laws. All employees at Equinox’s five locations in the Washington area will receive ADA and Title VII training, with specialized anti-discrimination training for managers and other personnel involved in applicant interviews, hiring, and reasonable accommodation requests.
“Federal law requires employers to evaluate applicants based on their qualifications and ability to do the job and makes it illegal to reject applicants on the basis of sex or disability,” said EEOC Philadelphia Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence. “The EEOC is committed to protecting the rights of applicants and ensuring that all individuals have equal access to employment opportunities.”
EEOC Washington Field Office Director Mindy E. Weinstein said, “This lawsuit and its resolution underscore that job applicants cannot be penalized for seeking a reasonable accommodation.”
For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination. More information on sex discrimination is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination.
The EEOC’s Washington Field Office is one of four offices in the Philadelphia District Office, which has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases from Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.
The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
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