New York Attorney General Letitia James has secured refunds and policy changes at Aneva Gym in Long Island City following a lawsuit over the gym’s failure to comply with state laws protecting health club members. The legal action, filed in June 2025, alleged that Aneva Gym did not provide customers with written membership contracts and imposed cancellation policies that made it difficult for customers to end their memberships.
As a result of the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) intervention, Aneva Gym will revise its cancellation procedures to align with New York law, offer restitution to affected customers, and pay a $5,000 penalty.
“Aneva Gym misled its customers, causing many to keep paying for gym memberships that they should have been able to easily cancel,” said Attorney General James. “Clear contracts and simple cancellation processes protect consumers. I will continue to enforce our laws to make sure businesses do not take advantage of New Yorkers.”
An investigation by the OAG found that since opening in 2022, Aneva Gym failed to meet several requirements under New York’s Health Club Services law. The gym did not give members legally required written contracts and instead posted terms on its website that were inconsistent with the law. For example, while state regulations require gyms to allow cancellations through multiple methods—including online, email, mail, phone, or in person—Aneva only permitted written and in-person cancellations. The business also required a 30-day advance notice for cancellations despite state rules allowing members to cancel within three business days after monthly renewal. Additionally, Aneva Gym had not posted a mandatory $50,000 bond with the Department of State meant to protect consumers if the gym ceases operations or fails to deliver promised services.
The court-submitted settlement obliges Aneva Gym to follow all aspects of New York’s Health Club Services law going forward. This includes providing compliant written contracts and updating cancellation options so members can end their memberships by various means. Restitution and refunds will be provided for those who experienced difficulties cancelling memberships; another $5,000 penalty is also included as part of the agreement. The gym has now fulfilled the requirement of posting a $50,000 bond with state authorities.
Attorney General James urges any consumer who struggled with contract cancellations at health clubs to file complaints online or contact her office’s hotline at (800) 771-7755. She advises potential health club members always check whether a facility has posted financial security before joining; if it is not listed on official websites, consumers are encouraged not to join and report this both online with her office and with the New York Department of State.
Attorney General James has previously taken similar actions against other companies over misleading subscription practices. In May 2025 she secured $600,000 from Equinox due to obstacles faced by consumers trying to cancel memberships (https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2024/attorney-general-james-secures-600000-refunds-and-policy-changes-equinox-over). In December 2024 she recovered $4.8 million for more than 28,000 SmileDirectClub customers who were improperly charged after service ceased when the company went bankrupt (https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2024/attorney-general-james-recovers-48-million-more-28000-smiledirectclub-customers). Legal action was also brought against SiriusXM for burdensome subscription cancellations; courts ruled against SiriusXM in November 2024 (https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2023/court-finds-siriusxm-broke-law-preventing-new-yorkers-cancelling-subscriptions), and restitution was previously obtained from New York Sports Clubs and Lucille Roberts following unlawful charges during COVID-19 closures.
Assistant Attorney General Melvin Goldberg handled this matter under supervision from Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia and Deputy Bureau Chief Laura J. Levine of the Consumer Frauds & Protection Bureau within the Division of Economic Justice.
