The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office announced on Mar. 18 that about 47,000 consumers in the state will soon receive restitution checks following a court victory against Patrick Walsh, the former CEO of Town Sports International LLC, which operated as Boston Sports Club. The court found that Walsh unfairly charged members for services in April 2020 while gyms were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This development is significant because it addresses widespread consumer complaints about being billed for gym access during a period when facilities were inaccessible. The Attorney General’s Office secured full refunds for affected Boston Sports Club members who had not already received credits or refunds.
To manage the large number of refunds, the AGO has engaged Analytics LLC as a refund administrator. Impacted consumers will receive an email from bostonsportsclubrefund@refundadministrator.com with instructions on how to claim their refunds. Recipients are advised to visit www.bostonsportsclubrefund.com and use their claim number and PIN provided in the email to select their preferred payment method. Refunds should be claimed within 90 days of receiving notification. Questions can be directed to the Refund Administrator by email or phone.
During the pandemic, all Boston Sports Club locations were closed from mid-March through July 2020, but members were still billed for April despite not having access. The court determined this was unfair because Walsh knowingly charged for services that would not be provided. More than 2,000 complaints were filed with the AGO from members who attempted unsuccessfully to cancel their contracts and avoid charges for unused facilities.
Testimony at trial revealed that many consumers tried various methods—calls, emails, social media—to cancel memberships but did not receive satisfactory responses and continued being charged even after submitting cancellation requests. The court also found that Walsh made deceptive statements and violated the Health Club Act by preventing cancellations and failing to honor requests.
The case was handled by several staff members across divisions within the Attorney General’s Office, including Managing Attorney Matthew Lashof-Sullivan and others from Consumer Protection, Civil Rights, Civil Investigations Divisions, and State Trial Counsel.
