Ellis George attorneys Keith Wesley and Trent Copeland represent yoga teacher Briohny Smyth in her age discrimination lawsuit against Alo Yoga. Smyth, a well-known yoga instructor, pre-recorded classes for Alo Yoga’s Alo Moves app and social media platforms for seven years before being let go. She began teaching and posting videos on an app acquired by Alo in 2018 and continued her work after it was rebranded as Alo Moves. Over the years, Smyth became a consistent presence on the platform, serving as brand ambassador and receiving a $100,000 contract, bonuses and free clothing. She was also one of Alo Yoga’s top instructors and closely aligned herself with the company’s messaging around wellness, community and inclusion, the same values she embraced as her YouTube teaching videos reached millions of views.
According to the complaint, Smyth began facing discrimination after turning 40 in 2022. Despite her physical fitness and ability to create some of the platform’s most popular content, she no longer fit the “Alo aesthetic” and began to be pushed out by the company. As a result, her annual compensation, bonus structure and clothing allotment were reduced. According to an interview conducted by Business of Fashion, attorney Keith Wesley stated, “We believe that it is not an isolated incident, and that there were others who suffered this, and that it is a pattern of practice.”
Additionally, the complaint states that Alo misclassified Smyth as an independent contractor, despite treating her (and others in similar situations) as employees. The complaint alleges that Alo deliberately misclassified some employees, including instructors, as independent contractors to avoid employer obligations, including compliance with anti-discrimination laws.
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