EEOC Sues Equinox Holdings, Inc. for Disability and Sex Discrimination

WASHINGTON – Equinox Holdings, Inc. (Equinox), which owns and operates fitness facilities and gyms nationwide, illegally discriminated against a woman who suffers from endometriosis on the basis of disability and sex when it failed to hire her as a front desk associate at its sports club in Washington because of her “monthly cycle” and potential need for a reasonable accommodation, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged in a lawsuit filed today. The agency also alleged Equinox did not accommodate her disability during the job application process.

According to the EEOC’s suit, the aggrieved applicant, who previously worked in similar positions for other gyms, asked for her second-round interview to be delayed by a few days because she experiences painful menstrual cramps and was anticipating being in that situation imminently. Equinox never scheduled her second-round interview. Instead, it rejected the applicant, the EEOC charges. The Equinox manager with whom she had her initial interview told her in a text message that she was passed over for the position because there was a concern that she would be absent in the future “due to [her] monthly cycle.” The EEOC also alleged Equinox subsequently hired a male applicant with no prior experience working in gyms for the front desk associate position.

Such alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits 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. The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief.

“Stigma surrounding menstruation remains far too prevalent in society and the workplace,” said EEOC Philadelphia Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence. “Federal law prevents such stigma and misconceptions regarding reproductive disorders, like endometriosis, from causing an otherwise well-qualified woman not to be hired simply because she may need an accommodation.”  

EEOC Washington Field Office Director Mindy E. Weinstein said, “The ADA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations not only to employees, but also to qualified applicants during the hiring process if doing so would not pose an undue hardship to the employer. Merely scheduling this applicant’s second-round interview a few days later is an example of an accommodation that does not pose an undue hardship.” 

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 prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.