It’s a war of workouts.
Celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson — who has voted for the bodies of stars like Gwyneth Paltrow — has filed a lawsuit against her former employee, Megan Roup, who heads the popular Sculpt Society.
In the complaint filed Monday in the US District Court Central District California, Anderson accuses Roup, who worked for her from 2011-2017, of copyright infringement.
The lawsuit alleges that Roup — whose fans include Sofia Richie, Martha Hunt and model Shanina Shaik — “had access to all the material needed to replicate the TA method and related matters, and she wasted no time trying to do so.” to do.”
According to the filing, Roup started her successful fitness business a month after she left Anderson.
The lawsuit also alleges that Roup “benefited from the years of research, money, and sweating power that Anderson and plaintiffs put into developing the TA method and putting things at a disadvantage,” Anderson said.
Anderson claims that a “significant number” of Roup’s videos, which are available on the Sculpt Society’s site, were “created using confidential information that Roup learned, used, or exposed to while he was employed,” by Anderson. They also claimed they used “confidential information” from Anderson’s company to “monitor the continued operation and growth of [Roups] own company.”
The lawsuit alleges that Roup signed a “Trainer Agreement” when she first joined the company, which prohibits her from ever using the “confidential information.”
The lawsuit also disputes that Roup allegedly does not specifically state that she worked for Anderson.
Defendants’ false and/or misleading public statements and advertisements create the false impression that Roup single-handedly created the choreographic movements, sequences and routines from which the [Tracey Anderson Method] and has conducted the research and development that led to this result,” the complaint said.
They are demanding damages and a jury trial.
An attorney for Anderson did not comment. Roup’s representatives did not respond to the request for comment.
The Fashion Law first reported on the filing.