Many people are wary of the advice of fitness influencers because not all of them are as well-versed in nutrition and exercise as they let on. One influencer who fooled countless customers is now facing legal action for her harmful practices.
Brittany Dawn Davis and her company, Brittany Dawn Fitness LLC, are being sued by the state of Texas, according to Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general. Court documents detail the problematic business practices of the company, which offered customized nutritional guidance and fitness coaching.
Findings indicate the plans were not all that personalized, customer complaints were ignored, and those recovering from eating disorders were baited by a false narrative pushed by Brittany. It was more than just bad business, having violated the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA).
Brittany Dawn began selling her services in 2014, according to court documents obtained by People. She offered a variety of fitness packages centered around customized nutritional guidance and fitness coaching. She saw success fairly quickly, with thousands of customers buying packages that ranged from $92 for a one-hour consultation to $300 for three months of individualized coaching and training.
Complaints began piling up, which went "largely ignored." Customers cited a range of issues with the plans given to them, including one "who almost passed out from inadequate nutrition." In 2019, after the complaints began turning to legal action, Brittany Dawn pulled her website and issued an apology on YouTube.
Brittany used social media as her prime promotional tool, and it was there that she got into another problematic situation. Over a number of posts over the years, Brittany spoke on using these diet and exercise techniques to overcome eating disorders. These statements, coupled with videos and links shared on her website, led customers to believe she had adequate training to specifically help people with eating disorders.
"The main reason I chose her out of all the coaches out there was specifically that she advertised herself as an 'eating disorder soldier,'" one client's testimony shared.
The client noted that she suffered from anorexia, and at her low point, she weighed just 80 pounds. Despite positioning it as the contrary, the plans offered by Brittany were low-calorie diet options "that would only be suitable for someone who needed to lose weight, not put it on."
Brittany has denied accepting customers who were recovering from eating disorders for treatment and plans specific to that, but at least 14 customers who asked for refunds referenced eating disorders in their official complaints. One customer, in her onboarding survey, confided the following to Brittany:
"I truly need guidance, help, the right information and support right now. I currently have an eating disorder, horrible body image views … I am underweight for my height."
"Great! Welcome to the #teambrittanydawn family," Brittany replied.
The Texas attorney general believes that Brittany's business practices were in violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA). The business "engaged in false, misleading, and/or deceptive acts or practices." The state is seeking between $250,000 and $1 million to cover civil penalties, attorneys' fees, and costs.
