Steam room sex assault vics can reach out to Equinox workers, New York appeals court says


A state appeals court has cleared the way for lawyers of those who say they were sexually assaulted inside steam rooms at Equinox gyms to find and contact possible witnesses.

The decision is believed to be the first of its kind in a civil case, said Marc Held, an attorney for the victims.

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Equinox ran to court after Held sent letters to 71 Equinox employees in December 2022 about the now long-running lawsuit, in which 11 people claimed they were “sexually assaulted, attacked [or subjected to] indecent exposure” in the popular gym chain’s steam rooms — and that management knew and did nothing to stop it.

The company claimed Held should have warned the workers that whatever they said about the alleged sexual assaults could hurt Equinox, and that they should speak with an attorney.


the interior of an equinox steam room where victims say they were subject to alleged sexual assault
Nearly a dozen victims sued Equinox, claiming the gym chain knew its steam rooms were hotbeds of sexual assault. UnitedPhotoStudio – stock.adobe.com

A judge in the Brooklyn case agreed, deciding in April 2023 that Held should have included the legal caution in his brief letter.

Held appealed, and this week the Second Judicial Department of the state appeals court reversed the earlier ruling.


the exterior of an equinox gym, with equinox written in large silver letters
Equinox has denied the allegations, which date back to at least 2018. Christopher Sadowski

“We are pleased that the Appellate Division put an end to Equinox’s attempt to obstruct and silence sexual assault victims,” Held told The Post.

The 2018 case is ongoing.

There were so many complaints about the bad behavior that Equinox “drafted a template response to go out to such victims,” according to court records.

Held described Equinox’s bid for the legal warning as “def-facto Miranda rights,” a reference to the description of rights typically given to someone arrested in a criminal case.

“There should be no such requirement or constraints in a civil case,” he said. 

Equinox lawyers didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.


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