Trial of Texas fitness blogger Brittany Dawn set to be postponed

The trial of a Texas influencer accused of defrauding thousands of customers and defrauding women with eating disorders has been postponed.

Last year, the state sued leading social network Brittany Dawn Davis over a fitness plan that violated consumer protection laws, Texas officials said.

Davis’ long-awaited trial was scheduled to begin this week in Dallas County, but the court won’t have time to set it. A new date has not yet been set, the court coordinator said. The final process should take about a week.

The case centers on Davis’ business, Brittany Dawn Fitness, which intended to provide personalized health and fitness training.

Starting in 2014, Davis has been selling online fitness packages ranging from $92 to $300 to thousands of customers with the promise of personalized training and enrollment. But the state claims that Davis was unable to deliver.

Texas is seeking $250,000 to $1 million in fines and legal fees.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office began receiving complaints against Davis in 2019 as clients demanded refunds, often without success.

On social media, Davis positions herself as someone who has overcome eating disorders through nutrition and exercise, state reports, which leads customers to believe she was trained to deal with such conditions.

The former client, who at one point weighed less than 80 pounds, is quoted in the lawsuit as saying she chose Davis because she advertised as an “eating disorder campaigner”. Another said that she almost passed out due to malnutrition.

The woman contacted Davis asking for help. “I really need guidance, help, information and support right now. I have an eating disorder. Terrible body pictures. I’m underweight for my height.”

Davis replied: “Great! Welcome to the #teambrittanydawn family.”

Davis denies accepting clients with eating disorders, the lawsuit says, but at least 14 clients who requested refunds mentioned eating disorders in their complaints.

In recent months, Davis has shifted her social media focus from fitness to faith, often posting inspirational and Christian content. She has a large following, including 473,000 followers on Instagram and 1.2 million followers on TikTok.

Earlier this month, the state accused Davis of withholding key evidence, including client names, payments received, and evidence of coaching.

For example, according to the state, Davis provided documentation of about $169,000 in customer payments. But deposits made to his PayPal corporate account have topped $1.5 million. Davis identified 1,638 customers, but the state says they believe there were thousands more.

Davis’ attorney, Calvin McLean, said the hosting company Davis was using removed most of his business records.

Assistant Attorney General James Holian asked for a postponement of the trial in order to gather more information. This sequel is yet to come.

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