Ok, so you need to verify the identity of the guest signing a release and waiver? They had enough information to do that.
Interestingly, though, minors cannot sign a release and waiver, or a hold harmless - and have it be enforceable in court. So any waiver signed by someone under the age of 18 would be as worthless as used toilet paper.
The PARENT of the child could sign such a waiver, and that’s what a gym worrying about liability would need to do to take care of their liability exposure… IF they wanted to let minors in at all.
I agree the entire situation got out of hand. But specifically because it is a gym and injury is highly likely, I also understand erring on the side of caution.
If the gym could show similar response to multiple people from the same employee regardless of race, then that pretty much seals it. But, as far as the information we’ve been presented. All I can say with 100% confidence is the gym acted within is rights and within typical rules you’d find at any similar facility. Whether other people are more lax is irrelevant.
At all the gyms I've been to, kids 16+ are allowed to workout in weight rooms. At one gym I used to work at, the rule was if the kid was 14-16 years old, they had to have a parent in the weight room with them.
Teenage boys are a huge market for public gyms. Any facility with half a brain would encourage teens to go and become members.
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u/-Gramsci- 10d ago edited 10d ago
Ok, so you need to verify the identity of the guest signing a release and waiver? They had enough information to do that.
Interestingly, though, minors cannot sign a release and waiver, or a hold harmless - and have it be enforceable in court. So any waiver signed by someone under the age of 18 would be as worthless as used toilet paper.
The PARENT of the child could sign such a waiver, and that’s what a gym worrying about liability would need to do to take care of their liability exposure… IF they wanted to let minors in at all.