- Former fitness influencer Brittany Dawn is set to stand trial in Texas over claims she scammed customers.
- Dawn ran a personalized fitness coaching program, but customers claimed it was generic and unhelpful.
Fitness-turned-religious content creator Brittany Dawn is set to face trial in Dallas, Texas, over allegations that she misled customers with a once-famed virtual personal training program.
The trial start date of March 6 was delayed indefinitely due to scheduling issues, according to Buzzfeed News. In February 2022, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Dawn, alleging that she failed to provide the personalized services she promised, and profited from the scam.
Dawn's attorney did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.
Starting in 2014, Dawn, born Brittany Dawn Davis, sold her personalized fitness program through bdawnfit.com, which promised three months of one-on-one coaching sessions, nutritional counseling, and weekly check-ins for between $92 and $300, according to the complaint.
"She was described as 'your coach, your confidant, your biggest supporter & friend,' there to 'push you, mold you, and to help you find that person that you've always wanted to become,'" Paxton wrote in the lawsuit.
But in reality, according to the complaint, the services were not personalized nor were they effective. Dawn also charged users shipping fees though all the services were online, the Texas AG added in the complaint.
Members were asked to submit their height, weight, and other health information for Dawn to craft 30- or 90-day nutrition and fitness plans, but many reported never receiving structured plans, instead receiving generic check-in messages when consulting was promised.
"Other consumers complained that any responses they did receive, if even initially to a detailed check-in or specific question, were generic and non-substantive, e.g., 'THAT'S MY GIRL! You're killing it!' or 'you've got this babe!'" Paxton wrote in the complaint.
Other customers claimed that Dawn reinforced eating disorders that they were dealing with, and that Dawn's generic plans were geared towards lowering calorie intake. In the complaint, the Texas AG alleged that Dawn denied enrolling clients with eating disorders.
"One consumer on her initial survey states 'I truly need guidance, help, the right information and support right now. I currently have an eating disorder, horrible body image views…I am underweight for my height,'" Paxton wrote in the complaint. "Ms. Davis' response was 'Great! Welcome to the #teambrittanydawn family."
The Texas AG is seeking between $250,000 and $1 million in penalties from Dawn.
On Tuesday, a combative Dawn — who has made a hard pivot to Christian content since a 2019 apology for the fitness venture — took to social media to say that she was ready to "fight back" against the allegations.
But even after the fitness scandal, Dawn has remained a lightning rod for controversy within the creator economy.
In December, the influencer defended her foster parent journey after critics surmised her foster agency hadn't conducted due diligence given Dawn and her husband's controversial pasts. "My background check came back perfect, thaaank you," she retorted on Instagram at the time.
Dawn's husband, Jordan Nelson – a former Kansas City police officer – was sued by the ACLU for using excessive force against a Black man in 2013. He was also at the center of a separate scandal in 2021, when Dawn announced he'd shot their dog after it had been hit by a car rather than taking it to the vet.