Giving advice on fitness motivation- legal ramifications?

Any ideas on legal ramifications?

Hi Cedric. Something that I ALWAYS caution trainers and others about is that "anyone can sue anyone at just about anytime." The real issue is whether their lawsuit will be successful. You limit someone's ability to be successful in a suit against you by taking the necessary precautions BEFORE an issue arises. As someone who writes a lot for publication I can say that I'm continually amazed at how many trainers who write for publication (online or hard copy magazines) do NOT have adequate liability insurance. Generally speaking, our general trainer's liability insurance does NOT cover us for our writings (and sometimes not even for products sold etc.). So my best advice to you is to please, speak with your current liability insurance company. Tell them what you plan to do, and ask what coverage you need. If you do this over the telephone, I always advise follow-up with them in writing (email) as to what you understand from that conversation. Get full coverage and be able to rest assured that you've done everything you can to 'reduce the risk of a SUCCESSFUL lawsuit against you' since again remember, 'anyone can sue anyone at just about anytime.' Also, I would advise spending some money on the front-end to speak with legal counsel on what you are planning and any suggestions they may have on how to protect yourself, or at least limit your liability. Remember, the real issue is whether it would be a successful suit. The last thing you, or any trainer for that matter wants is to 'win the lawsuit, but be broke because of the cost of defending yourself.'

My two cents, and I hope that this helps. Good luck!

LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com