Texas fitness influencer will stand trial next month for sending anorexics $300 weight loss plans
A Texas influencer who sent customers with anorexia a $300 weight-loss plan as part of a fitness program also allegedly misled women about a ‘personalized' meal plan month trial.
Brittany Dawn Davis has promised to help thousands of women with fitness packages ranging in price from $92 to $300, offering personalized health plans, coaching, workouts and nutritional advice.
But a lawsuit filed in early 2022 claimed the personalized program and tips never happened, that the program violated consumer protection laws, misled people with eating disorders and used deception to lure customers.
Davis, who has amassed more than 474,000 followers on Instagram, gave up fitness a few years ago after clients began complaining about her questionable business practices. She will stand trial on March 6 in Dallas County, Texas.
Brittany Dawn Davis to appear in court on March 6 for allegedly misleading customers about ‘personalized' meal plans and exacerbating eating disorder customers
Davis, who has amassed more than 474,000 followers on Instagram, gave up fitness a few years ago after clients began complaining about her questionable business practices.
According to the Texas Attorney General's lawsuit, at least 14 women with eating disorders have come to Davis for help, alleging that Davis made their condition worse by following a low-calorie diet, which is only suitable for those who People who want to lose weight.
In one instance, a former customer who weighed 80 pounds at the time signed up for Davis' program because she advertised herself as a “soldier with an eating disorder.”
According to the Dallas Morning News, the customer nearly passed out due to malnutrition.
The suit also alleges that Davis billed customers shipping costs for emailed diet and nutrition plans that were supposed to be personalized to meet customers' specific needs but were generic.
Prosecutors said the influencer, who ran a company called Brittany Dawn Fitness LLC, began selling online workout packages to thousands of clients in 2014 with the promise that each client would receive “personalized” nutritional coaching and coaching.
Plans range in price from $92 for a one-time consultation to $300 for three months of nutritional advice, training and coaching.
“However, the online nutrition and fitness programs offered to consumers are not personalized,” the lawsuit says. “Defendants also failed to provide the promised directions and check-ins.”
Davis has promised to help thousands of women with fitness packages ranging in price from $92 to $300, offering personalized health plans, coaching, exercise and nutritional advice
Davis posted before and after photos of herself on Instagram to promote her plans
Davis started 2019 facing heat as more women came forward saying she sold them a “generic” workout program and then deleted their complaints on social media
Davis began to come under fire from customers in 2019, as more women came forward saying she sold them a “generic” workout program and then deleted their complaints on social media.
She ignored customer complaints until 2019, when a public outcry against her service led her to address complaints on YouTube.
“I made a mistake,” she said. “I took full responsibility for it, I got it right, I did everything to make it right. As a business owner, as an influencer, I learned from that, and I’m a very Good example of what happens when you own a platform and you screw it up.
After complaints began to emerge, Davis shut down the website where she sold diet and fitness plans.
But many of her disappointed clients say they have not received refunds for the bogus plans. In a private Facebook group devoted to complaints against Davis, more than 5,000 women gathered to share their horror stories.
One customer who purchased the 90-day plan received only one email from Davis. Another customer who purchased a similar plan said Davis cut contact within two weeks.
Others said that when they posed doubts or specific questions to Davis, the responses they received were objective, like “That's my girl!” You killed it! or “You have this baby!”
Davis referred her clients to the “Brittany Dawn Team” Facebook group for support, but the forum backfired when clients realized they were getting the same plan, court documents say.
One consumer commented, “At first I thought you made this workout plan based on my needs and wants…until I referred 2 friends to you and they had the same plan,” the legal filing said.
Davis referred her client to the “Team Brittany Dawn” Facebook group for support, but the forum backfired when the client realized they were getting the same plan
At least 14 customers mentioned eating disorders in their complaints despite Davis' claims she never treated customers with eating disorders, the lawsuit said
Customer says it failed to develop proper nutrition plan for those recovering from eating disorders and attaches extra “shipping costs” to email documents
The suit also alleges that she misled consumers with eating disorders by luring them with YouTube videos in which she claimed to have overcome her eating disorder through exercise and healthy eating.
She advertised her fitness regimen in social media posts, leading potential clients to believe she had special training to address eating disorders, court documents say.
One consumer noted, “The main reason I chose her [Ms. Davis] Of all the coaches, she singled out herself as a “soldier with an eating disorder.”
“It's very important to me that the people I choose to mentor me understand how to deal with eating disorders.”
More than a dozen people with eating disorders who agreed to Davis' plan said they were given “low-calorie macronutrient recommendations that are only for those who need to lose weight, not gain weight.”
