Casey Willard, who had worked for three years at Planet Fitness and was its manager of franchise development, also alleges that an employee and his friends drugged and raped her on a business trip in 2017.
Willard says she quit after having to endure a hostile and discriminatory corporate office environment. While human resources knew what was going on, they did nothing to address the problems, the suit alleges. Willard also alleges that she was sexually harassed by a number of male staff.
Willard wants a jury trial and is seeking unspecified damages, as well as compensation for lost wages, back pay and other damages, Blue Maumau reports.
A Planet Fitness spokesperson says that the company "swiftly and thoroughly investigated all concerns Ms. Willard brought to our attention during her employment with the Company and took immediate action, which resulted in the termination of an employee for violation of Company policies," NHPR reports.
The spokesperson also notes that Willard left Planet Fitness voluntarily in April last year.
Planet Fitness notes in a statement that it has "a zero tolerance policy related to harassment of any kind, and are committed to providing a safe environment for all employees," Club Industry reports.
"We vehemently dispute the other baseless allegations outlined in the complaint and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against them," the statement notes.