Planet Fitness is facing multiple lawsuits from women who allege a male member secretly filmed them in tanning booths over the course of a year. The lawsuits claim that gym employees were aware of suspicious behavior but failed to act.
At a Planet Fitness location in Arroyo Grande, California, a member identified as Kyle Combs is accused of recording approximately 47 women in various states of undress between January and December 2025. Combs, 40, has been charged with 12 misdemeanor counts of invasion of privacy. He has pleaded not guilty.
Eight women, suing as Jane Does, allege that Combs sometimes filmed himself masturbating while recording unsuspecting patrons. One plaintiff claims she caught Combs inside her tanning room in May 2025 and reported the incident to a Planet Fitness employee and manager, who allegedly dismissed her concerns and blamed her for not locking the door properly. Despite the complaint, the alleged activity continued for another seven months.
Allegations of Systemic Failures
According to court documents, the women allege that Combs exploited the tanning rooms' locks, which they claim could be opened from the outside with a coin or similar object. Another lawsuit states Combs would wait in the gym's lounge area for women to enter the private tanning rooms, then use his thumb to unlock the door from the outside, enter, film them, and leave.
Black Card members, who have access to amenities like tanning and red-light therapy rooms, had to check in with an employee and scan their membership cards. An employee was also responsible for activating the tanning booths, meaning staff should have been aware of room occupancy. The lawsuits contend that Planet Fitness workers appeared distracted, with some employees allegedly on their phones or conversing amongst themselves instead of monitoring members.
Combs was reportedly seen on security footage pacing, appearing nervous, and lingering around the spa area with his phone. He was often observed wearing medical scrubs. The alleged filming spree ended on December 29, 2025, when another woman caught Combs pointing a cellphone camera through a crack in her tanning booth door. She screamed, and Combs reportedly fled the gym while an employee allegedly witnessed his escape but did not intervene.
Following the incident, police investigation uncovered over 50 photos and videos on Combs' cellphone and other devices depicting women inside tanning booths. The lawsuits against Planet Fitness and two of its franchisees allege that the company failed to implement adequate security measures to prevent the alleged recordings.