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Time of India
18-05-2025
- Time of India
Inside the $11 million verdict that exposed the dark side of a luxury fitness gym
Röbynn Europe, a former Equinox employee, won a $11.25 million lawsuit against the luxury gym chain. She alleged a toxic work environment fostered by a subordinate's racist and sexist remarks, leading to her termination after she reported the issue. The jury sided with Europe, awarding damages for race and gender discrimination, impacting her mental health. Röbynn Europe didn't expect her greatest battle to be fought inside a luxury gym. A former professional bodybuilder with a background in art, she had once viewed fitness as a path toward healing and self-empowerment. But in 2018, what began as a promising leadership role at Equinox's upscale Upper East Side location turned into a bruising experience that, years later, would culminate in a jury awarding her $11.25 million in damages. Europe had quickly risen through the ranks after being hired, promoted to oversee a team of 15 employees. But beneath the eucalyptus-scented steam rooms and sleek aesthetic of Equinox, she says, lay something far more corrosive: unchecked racism and sexism. In her lawsuit filed in 2020, Europe described a 'toxic atmosphere' created by a white subordinate who repeatedly made vulgar remarks about Black women's bodies and refused to accept her authority. 'Racism and sexism — they are just pervasive in the fitness industry,' she told The New York Times' Ginia Bellafante in a recent interview. Europe said the comments weren't subtle. They were overt, personal, and constant. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Cost Of Amusement Park Equipment From Mexico Might Surprise You Amusement Park Equipment | search ads Click Here Undo According to court documents, the subordinate allegedly referred to nonwhite employees as 'lazy,' called a Black coworker 'autistic,' and even once suggested that Europe accompany him outside a local café so he could hit on a young Black woman — believing her presence as a Black woman might 'help' his chances. 'She refused to be a racial pawn,' her complaint stated. She brought her concerns to management, hoping for accountability. What she said she got instead was retaliation. Equinox terminated her less than a year after she was hired, citing her being late to work 47 times in 11 months. Europe didn't deny the tardiness, but argued that it had become a pretext. In her lawsuit, she said other employees with worse attendance records were never reprimanded. 'She 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,' the suit noted. On May 7, a jury of five women and three men in Manhattan federal court agreed. After just over an hour of deliberation, they sided with Europe, awarding her $1.25 million in compensatory damages, $16,000 in back pay, and $10 million in punitive damages. According to court records reviewed by CBS MoneyWatch in 2023, the judgment was rooted in race and gender discrimination, not the dismissed retaliation claim. 'The jury sent a loud message to Equinox that there are serious consequences for corporations that permit racist and sexist behavior in the workplace,' said Susan Crumiller, one of Europe's attorneys, in a statement in 2023. '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.' The toll on Europe's well-being was not just professional. The hostile environment exacerbated her struggle with bulimia — a condition she'd battled much of her life. She testified that while at Equinox, she began vomiting multiple times a day and eventually threw up blood. She later entered a treatment program. The gym, for its part, has doubled down on its defense. In a statement to CBS, Equinox maintained: 'This is a case of termination for performance related to attendance, and nothing more.' The company added, 'We 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.' Equinox's reputation as a luxury fitness brand is central to its image. With over 100 locations in major cities like New York and San Francisco, memberships can cost several hundred dollars per month. Its marketing is aspirational — exclusivity, elite performance, wellness — but for Europe, it was a place where 'management structure is often white and male,' and corporate actions didn't reflect the polished brand exterior. Europe's story resonates far beyond the boundaries of a gym. As some experts have pointed out, Europe's victory against a high-profile organization set a precedent for coming cases, where the juries appear more willing to recognize the emotional harm inflicted by racial and gender-based abuse, even if it was against strong and famous people.
Associated Press
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Alabama lawmakers advance local 'Laken Riley' bill that deputizes police to enforce immigration law
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers advanced legislation on Thursday that would allow local law enforcement to enforce immigration law, as conservative legislators push for increased alignment with the federal government's crackdown on immigration. The bill was dubbed 'Laken Riley Act,' named after the 22-year-old Augusta University student who was killed last year in Georgia by an undocumented immigrant. President Donald Trump signed a similar law into affect in January that requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes. If signed into law, the Alabama version of the bill will allow local and state law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements with federal agencies to enforce the country's immigration laws. 'It's simply a common-sense grassroots approach to help enforce already existing laws that are on the books in our community,' said the bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Ernie Yarbrough. The bill drew swift rebuke from the House of Representative's Democratic minority. Rep. Chris England said the bill would make profiling inevitable because he said officers are more likely to detain nonwhite people who don't speak English. He added that the stakes are higher given the increasing frequency of detentions without a trial across the country. 'The constitution can't be situational, it can't be circumstantial, it cannot only be when it benefits me. You have to abide by the principles in it, even when you don't want to,' he said. Yarbrough denied that the bill would encourage racial profiling, and he pointed to amendments to the bill that would require officers to check immigration status instead of nationality when someone is arrested. 'The bottom line is that this bill isn't aimed at vilifying immigrants – it's about the safety of Alabamians,' Yarbrough said. Still, some Democratic legislators pushed back. They said that it would make communities less safe because it would discourage immigrants from reporting crimes in the community. Rep. Neil Rafferty said that the bill exploits Laken Riley's name and wouldn't have prevented her death. 'Turning local officers into de facto immigration agents damages their ability to stop crimes,' Rafferty said.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump wants California to institute restrictive voter law before receiving fire aid
With wildfires ravaging Los Angeles County since the start of the year, Republicans have openly discussed withholding crucial disaster aid for California unless the state makes right-wing policy changes. Earlier this month, I wrote about some of these Republicans, including far-right influencer Charlie Kirk, who said the funds should be contingent on California firing Kristin Crowley, Los Angeles' first female and openly gay fire chief. And President Donald Trump has blamed the fires on California's water distribution policy, though experts have pushed back on such claims. That hasn't stopped him from demanding that California officials change their water policy. Over the weekend, Trump added to his apparent list of conditions for California to receive federal fire aid, telling reporters on Friday that the state should impose a voting law that many legal experts say is voter suppression. 'In California, I have a condition,' he said during a news conference while visiting hurricane-affected areas of North Carolina. 'In California, we want them to have voter ID so the people have a voice, because right now the people don't have a voice, because you don't know who's voting and it's very corrupt.' There's no evidence California's voting system is corrupt or rife with voter fraud. As Gov. Gavin Newsom's office posted to X on Friday: 'Under current CA law you must be a CA resident and US citizen (and attest to being one under penalty of perjury) AND provide a form of ID such as driver's license or passport that has been approved by the Secretary of State in order to register to vote.' Trump's proposed remedy to fix this nonexistent problem of widespread voter fraud, enhanced 'voter ID,' is conservative parlance for policies that experts and activists often warn disproportionately harm nonwhite voters and other marginalized groups for various reasons. Trump's ultimatum is all the more disturbing when you consider that the town of Altadena, which has a significant Black population, was severely hurt by the wildfires in California. Now he's suggesting making their recovery contingent on California accepting policies that could make it harder for some of those people to vote. So here, we have a scenario that feels similar to what led to Trump's first impeachment for requesting a political favor in exchange for congressionally authorized aid to Ukraine. (The GOP-controlled Senate ultimately voted to acquit him.) In California's case, Trump is being more explicit in demanding political concessions in exchange for vital aid. And he's not threatening to withhold aid Congress has already authorized. He's getting out in front of the negotiations entirely. On that note, shoutout to U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., who looked Trump in the eye during a meeting last Friday and warned that his cruel ultimatum could easily come back to hurt Republicans if a Democrat regains the White House and decides to use similar tactics against conservative-led states. Watch Sherman's encounter with Trump below: This article was originally published on
