Sebastien Lagree makes good on his promises. The muscle-bound Frenchman behind Lagree Fitness, a Burbank, California, exercise equipment company, created a patented machine called the Megaformer, a $6,900 contraption that combines the principles of Pilates with strength training and counts Kim Kardashian and Sofia Vergara as its fans. But last year, Lagree told the New York Times that people were “blatantly copying” his machine’s design. He planned on suing them.
On September 18, Lagree Fitness filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Solidcore, the popular Washington fitness studios (they’ve been frequented by Michelle Obama and single classes there cost $37) and the company’s owner, Anne Mahlum.
In the complaint, Lagree alleges his company and Solidcore agreed to a $65,000 licensing agreement in 2013 that granted Mahlum use of his products in some Washington Zip Codes. Mahlum paid $69,000 for ten Megaformer M2’s, an updated version of Lagree’s original machine, and later leased 11 more, paying $99 per month for each.
Things went well at first, but around 2014, Lagree says Mahlum went rogue: She removed his name from the machines and started repackaging them as her own. Then, three months ago, he says, Mahlum announced plans to open a new studio equipped with Megaformer products in the Bethesda, Maryland area–though she was not licensed to do so. Lagree took his claims to court and sued Mahlum for, among other causes, breach of contract and false advertising. He’s demanding damages, attorney’s fees, and a temporary restraining order barring Mahlum from using his name in any way.
But Mahlum says she was the one who initiated the legal battle. On September 9, she sent Lagree a letter accusing him of breach of contract. Lagree couldn’t deliver machines as quickly as Mahlum needed and wasn’t providing studios with sufficient training, Mahlum says. So Solidcore studios stopped teaching the Lagree method.
Mahlum says she won’t use Megaformers in Solidcore’s future locations. “It’s a frivolous lawsuit,” she says. “A lot of the facts are not correct.”
As for the leased equipment, Mahlum responds thusly: “We are not violating any of the contracts… He cannot tell us what we can or cannot do with machines we own.” (Through a spokesperson, Lagree declined to comment.)
Mahlum says her lawyers are preparing a legal response to Lagree’s complaint, and earlier this morning, Solidcore made the split public:
We would like to announce that we have formally separated from any affiliation with Lagree Fitness. We are looking forward to expanding [solidcore] in the DMV region and beyond.
Solidcore Faces Lawsuit Filed by California Fitness Guru Sebastien Lagree
Sebastien Lagree makes good on his promises. The muscle-bound Frenchman behind Lagree Fitness, a Burbank, California, exercise equipment company, created a patented machine called the Megaformer, a $6,900 contraption that combines the principles of Pilates with strength training and counts Kim Kardashian and Sofia Vergara as its fans. But last year, Lagree told the New York Times that people were “blatantly copying” his machine’s design. He planned on suing them.
On September 18, Lagree Fitness filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Solidcore, the popular Washington fitness studios (they’ve been frequented by Michelle Obama and single classes there cost $37) and the company’s owner, Anne Mahlum.
In the complaint, Lagree alleges his company and Solidcore agreed to a $65,000 licensing agreement in 2013 that granted Mahlum use of his products in some Washington Zip Codes. Mahlum paid $69,000 for ten Megaformer M2’s, an updated version of Lagree’s original machine, and later leased 11 more, paying $99 per month for each.
Things went well at first, but around 2014, Lagree says Mahlum went rogue: She removed his name from the machines and started repackaging them as her own. Then, three months ago, he says, Mahlum announced plans to open a new studio equipped with Megaformer products in the Bethesda, Maryland area–though she was not licensed to do so. Lagree took his claims to court and sued Mahlum for, among other causes, breach of contract and false advertising. He’s demanding damages, attorney’s fees, and a temporary restraining order barring Mahlum from using his name in any way.
But Mahlum says she was the one who initiated the legal battle. On September 9, she sent Lagree a letter accusing him of breach of contract. Lagree couldn’t deliver machines as quickly as Mahlum needed and wasn’t providing studios with sufficient training, Mahlum says. So Solidcore studios stopped teaching the Lagree method.
Mahlum says she won’t use Megaformers in Solidcore’s future locations. “It’s a frivolous lawsuit,” she says. “A lot of the facts are not correct.”
As for the leased equipment, Mahlum responds thusly: “We are not violating any of the contracts… He cannot tell us what we can or cannot do with machines we own.” (Through a spokesperson, Lagree declined to comment.)
Mahlum says her lawyers are preparing a legal response to Lagree’s complaint, and earlier this morning, Solidcore made the split public:
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Best of Washington 2023: Things to Eat, Drink, Do, and Know Right Now
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
These Volunteers Wake Up at Dawn to Collect DC’s Dead—and Injured—Birds
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This May
Democrats and Republicans Pass Balls, Not Bills, at Congressional Soccer Game
3 New Memoirs by Prominent Women
Everything You Wanted to Know About Urban Bear Sightings but Were Afraid to Ask, Because Who Wants to Get That Close to a Bear?
Rockville Police Are Searching for Culprits of a $4,500 Pickleball Paddle Heist
Dozens of Vintage Planes Will Fly Over the National Mall This Saturday
PHOTOS: “Rupaul’s Drag Race” Queens Work It at the National Mall