The state of Texas has sued fitness-turned-Christianity influencer Brittany Dawn Davis over claims that her fitness plan program allegedly engaged in deceptive practices and negatively impacted customers with eating disorders.
Davis, a 30-year-old from Fort Worth, first started selling thousands of online fitness packages in 2014 after building her social media profile as a supposed healthy living expert through sharing photos of her body, her diet, and exercise tips.
“She was described as ‘your coach, your confidant, your biggest supporter & friend,’ there to ‘push you, mold you, and to help you find that person that you’ve always wanted to become,’” reads the lawsuit from the Texas Attorney General. The documents were filed in the Dallas County Court on Feb. 1 and were first reported on by the Dallas Morning News.
The courses from Brittany Dawn Fitness LLC ranged in price from $92 to $300 per month, with Davis supposedly offering individual coaching and plans.
But through a private Facebook group where members were encouraged to share their progress, Davis’ customers realized she had given many of them the exact same workout and nutrition plans without any personalization.
And rather than providing individual coaching, Davis simply gave “generic and non-substantive” feedback, said the complaint, such as “THAT’S MY GIRL! You’re killing it!” and “you’ve got this babe!”
Davis has not responded to a request from BuzzFeed News for comment.
At least 14 customers mentioned in the complaint who sought refunds from Davis are people with eating disorders. One said that Davis’ social media presence and self-identification as an “eating disorder soldier” led them to believe she had “special training” to address their conditions. One woman — who had a restrictive eating disorder and told David she wanted to increase her calorie intake — said Davis gave her a meal plan that had a “significantly lower” calorie count than what she’d previously been eating. The lawsuit documents said Davis denied accepting customers with eating disorders.