OTHER NEWS - April 15, 1994

Bally’s Health & Tennis Corp. Settles Charges: The nation’s largest health club chain agreed to pay refunds to possibly thousands of current and former members to settle Federal Trade Commission charges of deceptive billing, cancellation and refund practices. Bally’s, which has 4 million members nationwide, also agreed to pay $120,000 in civil penalties. It did not admit any wrongdoing. The FTC alleged that Bally’s made it impossible for people to quit the clubs and charged members’ credit cards or bank accounts without authorization. In February, a related company, Bally’s Holiday Spa Health Clubs, agreed to pay $138,062 to settle charges of false advertising brought by the Los Angeles district attorney’s office.