FDD Items 3 & 4 · 2025 filing
Fitness 19 litigation history
What Fitness 19 disclosed about lawsuits, arbitrations and bankruptcy in the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 3 lists the material legal actions a franchisor must report; Item 4 covers bankruptcy. This is the franchisor's own disclosure, not a court record, and not legal advice.
Items 3 (litigation) & 4 (bankruptcy) at a glance
What the filing discloses
- Cases disclosed
- 8
- Item 3, as counted in the filing
- Largest settlement, franchisor's own cases
- None stated
- Bankruptcy (Item 4)
- None
- Franchisor, parent, predecessor or officer
- Filing year
- 2025
- Disclosures cover the prior ten years
Extracted from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document
Item 3: litigation
Multiple concluded actions involving Holdings/Prior Franchisor including franchisee ownership disputes, landlord suits, and trademark proceedings. Government action by California re: unlicensed franchise activity (2008 consent agreement). All Endo Matters settled June 2024.
Item 3 (litigation) · 8 matters disclosed
Litigation cases
Parent, affiliates, master franchisor and subfranchisor
Concluded (7)
F19 Franchising, LLC and F-19 Holdings, LLC v. Endo Fitness LL, LLC, et al.
settledF19 Franchising, LLC ('Prior Franchisor') and F-19 Holdings, LLC (plaintiffs) · filed 2023-01-11 · U.S.D.C. Central District of California · 2:23-cv-00185-MEMF-JC
“… Case No. 2:23-cv-00185-MEMF-JC, U.S.D.C. Central District of California (the “Predecessor Lawsuit,” and together with the Rodgers Lawsuit, the Endo Lawsuit, and the TTAB Proceedings, the “Endo Matters”).”Page 13 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On June 25, 2024, the parties to the Endo Matters (defined below) entered into a settlement agreement under which, among other things, each of the Endo Matters were dismissed with prejudice;” (page 11)
Endo Fitness LL, LLC v. F-19 Holdings, LLC and F19 Franchising LLC, et al.; Endo Fitness LL, LLC v. F-19 Holdings, LLC (Opposition Proceeding No. 91283250); Endo Fitness LL, LLC v. F-19 Holdings, LLC (Cancellation Proceeding No. 92081530)
settledF-19 Holdings, LLC and F19 Franchising LLC ('Prior Franchisor') · filed 2022-03-29 · U.S.D.C. Central District of California; USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board · 2:22-cv-03124-MEMF-JC; 91283250; 92081530
“Endo Fitness LL, LLC v. F-19 Holdings, LLC and F19 Franchising LLC, et al., Case No. 2:22-cv-03124-MEMF-JC, U.S.D.C. Central District of California (the “Endo Lawsuit”);”Page 12 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On June 25, 2024, the parties to the Endo Matters (defined below) entered into a settlement agreement under which, among other things, each of the Endo Matters were dismissed with prejudice;” (page 11)
Robert Rodger, et al. v. F19 Franchising, LLC and F-19 Holdings, LLC, et al.
settledF19 Franchising, LLC ('Prior Franchisor') and F-19 Holdings, LLC · filed 2021-04-28 · Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles · 21STCV16036
“… Case No. 21STCV16036, Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles (“Rodgers Lawsuit”).”Page 11 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On June 25, 2024, the parties to the Endo Matters (defined below) entered into a settlement agreement under which, among other things, each of the Endo Matters were dismissed with prejudice;”
Dustin Bonnenfant v. F-19 Holdings LLC, Robert Lineberger, Dominick Milat, and Fitness 29 Colombia SAS
settledF-19 Holdings LLC ('Holdings', our affiliate), Robert Lineberger (our CEO) and others · filed 2019-03-08 · District Court of Harris County, Texas · 2019-17574
“… Case No. 2019-17574, District Court of Harris County, Texas.”Page 10 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “the parties entered into a settlement agreement under which Defendants agreed to (a) pay Plaintiff $100,000, (b) allow Plaintiff to retain his ownership interest in the Fitness Clubs, and (c) grant Plaintiff 67% of the profit split arising from the operation of the Fitness Clubs.”
Sky Canyon Plaza, LLC v. Fitness 19 CA 163, LLC, Fitness 19 CA 297, LLC, F-19 Holdings, LLC, Nick Milat, and Does 1-50
settledBrought by a third party · F-19 Holdings, LLC (our affiliate) and Nick Milat, as owners of Prior Franchisor's franchisees · filed 2019-01-18 · Superior Court of California, County of Riverside · MCC 1900084
“… Case No. MCC 1900084, Superior Court of California, County of Riverside).”Page 11 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “the parties entered into a settlement under which Defendants agreed to pay Landlord $50,000 in exchange for mutual releases, and the matter was dismissed with prejudice.”
IPM, LLC v. The Robert & Cori Lineberger Inter Vivos Trust; Robert Lineberger; and Cori Lineberger
settledRobert Lineberger (our CEO), his trust, and F-19 Holdings, LLC (affiliate, added by amended complaint) · filed 2017-12-17 · Superior Court of the State of Washington, County of King · 18-2-02253-3 SEA
“… Case No. 18-2-02253-3 SEA (Superior Court of the State of Washington in and for the County of King).”Page 10 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On September 18, 2019, the parties entered into a settlement agreement under which: (a) Holdings agreed to give IPM an interest-free loan of $250,000, which would be repayable over 40 months;” (page 11)
Matter with no printed caption
concludedGovernment or regulatory action · F-19 Holdings, LLC ('Holdings', our affiliate) · filed 2008-04-15 · California Department of Corporations
“In January 2008, Holdings was notified that the State of California intended to initiate an inquiry into its licensing activities.”Page 13 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “consenting to the issuance of a Desist and Refrain Order, dated April 15, 2008, under which it agreed not to offer or enter into those types of relationships, in the State of California until the offer had been registered or were exempt from registration under the California Franchise Investment Law.”
Officers and directors (individuals, not the company)
Concluded (1)
Palagio, LLC v. Fitness 19 OK 257, LLC; Life Fitness, Inc.; Dominick (“Nick”) Milat; John Henry; and Robert Lineberger
settledBrought by a third party · Robert Lineberger (our CEO), with Nick Milat and John Henry · United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma · 5:15-cv-464-M
“… Case No. 5:15-cv-464-M (United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma).”Page 11 of the 2025 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “the Defendants paid the landlord $150,000, and the case was dismissed with prejudice on March 8, 2016. Concluded Related Matters On June 25, 2024, the parties to the Endo Matters (defined below) entered into a settlement agreement under which, among other things, each of the Endo Matters were dismissed with prejudice;”
Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.
Disclosure signals that moved the score
How this shows up in the verdict
- Multiple serious litigation cases involving fraud, embezzlement, and breach of fiduciary duty indicate internal corruption and governance failures
The verdict grade is FranchiseVerdict's editorial assessment across SBA loan performance, unit growth, revenue and disclosure signals. It is not investment advice.
Before you weigh a lawsuit
How to read Item 3
A franchisor must disclose pending actions and any material civil action involving the franchise relationship, plus convictions or civil judgments for fraud, unfair or deceptive practices, or franchise-law violations, going back ten years. A case the franchisor brought against a franchisee counts too. Item 3 does not include every dispute: settled claims below the materiality line and matters resolved in private arbitration can be absent.
Questions worth asking current and former franchisees, using the contact list in Item 20:
- Were you, or anyone you know in the system, party to a dispute with the franchisor?
- Was it resolved by settlement, arbitration or a court, and on what terms?
- Has the number of disputes gone up or down since you signed?