SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Eight San Diego County gyms have filed a lawsuit against state and county leaders over the public health orders due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The gym owners say that restrictions on their business by California and the county have caused, "difficulty in satisfying their financial obligations, having been forced to lay off a significant number of employees" and they have "expended large sums of money in an effort to comply with Defendants’ vague orders."
Gym owners say they have lost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some cases, retrofitting their businesses to be compliant with reopening measures.
The Plaintiffs include Metroflex Gym in Oceanside, Ramona Fitness Center in Ramona, Boulevard Fitness in University Heights, Deadweight Strength in Grantville, Convoy Strength in Kearny Mesa, IB Fitness in Imperial Beach, and Being Fit in both Clairemont and Mira Mesa.
The owners added that they have sought clarification of the orders and how they're enforced by law enforcement and the county, but have not received any clarification from officials.
The lawsuit claims that public health orders labeling their businesses as nonessential without allowing them to challenge it, and mandatory closures, are not constitutional.
Defendants include Gov. Gavin Newsom, all five San Diego County supervisors, and the mayors of each city where the gyms are located. Various local law enforcement and public health officials, including Wilma Wooten, Sheriff Bill Gore, and SDPD Chief David Nisleit, were also named.
