Gym Chain With Multiple Illinois Locations Sued For “Exceedingly Difficult” Cancellation Policy

The lawsuit comes after Illinois passed a law requiring gyms to allow cancellations online or via email.

The Federal Trade Commission is suing gym chain LA Fitness over claims that the chain makes it "exceedingly difficult" for members to cancel their memberships, according to NBC Chicago.

The lawsuit comes just months after Ilinois passed a law requiring gyms to let members cancel their membership without going to the gym in person: via phone, email, or online.

That Law: Illinois' New Gym Membership Law In 2025 Is Ready For Resolutions

LA Fitness has 57 Illinois locations. Most are in the Chicagoland area and there's one in Springfield, per their website.

The FTC is pointing to 2 cancellation processes LA Fitness has used for years: canceling in person or canceling via mail.

Both of the options require printing out a form on the gym's website, with login credentials that the FTC argues people may or may not remember. The in-person cancellation option is limited too, they say, because the gym has limited hours and often difficulty trying to find a manager that can process the form.

The FTC also says LA Fitness doesn't disclose cancellation options clearly when new members join, and some people may be paying for additional services with recurring fees, not knowing there are different cancellation requirements for those.

This isn't the first time the FTC has called out gyms (and subscription-based companies) for making the membership cancellation process really difficult.

Fitness International (LA Fitness' parent company) does now offer subscription cancellations online "with stand-alone agreements" but the FTC and customers say the option is buried in their website.