A Philadelphia-area Planet Fitness is facing a lawsuit after a manager allegedly refused to allow bystanders to use the gym’s defibrillator on a man who suffered a heart attack outside the facility.
Guy Harris, 46, died on January 22 after going into cardiac arrest near the Planet Fitness in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania. His wife, Taniqua Morene-Harris, filed a wrongful death suit on Wednesday in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
Harris, a married father of two, had been driving his 11-year-old son to get a snack after school when he started feeling symptoms of a heart attack, according to the lawsuit. Harris pulled over a short distance from the Planet Fitness, where he was a member. His son then called 911 and sought help from passersby. One bystander, who was medically trained, began performing CPR on Harris. Another bystander asked people leaving the gym to return and get the gym’s automated external defibrillator (AED), a device that delivers an electric shock to try to restart the heart.
The lawsuit states that two gym patrons returned inside to request the AED, informing the manager of the life-threatening situation outside. Despite being aware of the urgency, the manager allegedly refused to allow the AED to be used.
The lawsuit names both Planet Fitness Inc., headquartered in New Hampshire, and Keystone NFP Clifton LLC, the franchisee operating the Clifton Heights location, as defendants. Neither company responded to NBC News’ requests for comment.
Harris’ wife, Taniqua, has declined to comment. An attorney representing her said the couple had been married for nearly 21 years. Harris passed away the day before their son’s 12th birthday.
“They’re all just shocked by this whole occurrence and how it happened,” said Elizabeth Crawford, an attorney at Kline & Specter, PC in Philadelphia. “AEDs save lives, but only if they’re used.”
The reason the manager allegedly denied access to the AED remains unclear. The lawsuit claims bystanders continued CPR, but Harris was later pronounced dead after being rushed to the hospital by ambulance.
The lawsuit accuses Planet Fitness and the franchisee operator of negligence, alleging that the refusal to provide life-saving assistance led to Harris’ suffering and death. It seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.
Planet Fitness operates over 2,700 locations worldwide, according to its website.
Crawford called the manager’s decision to deny AED use a “deliberate decision to withhold life-saving measures.” She added that it’s reasonable to expect someone could suffer a heart attack outside the gym just as easily as inside.
