STUDIO CITY—A heart-attack death lawsuit against the Studio City Fitness Gym was settled on Wednesday, October 26.
A member of the gym, Marc Palotay died of a fatal heart-attack while working out at the gym in March 2015.
The suit was filed in May 2015 by Palotay’s children, Michael, Lauren and Rachel Palotay, who held that their father’s death could have been prevented.
The plaintiff argued that there was no automatic external defibrillator available on site or trained personnel to utilize the device, which was required by law after being mandated in July 2007.
According to the lawsuit, the incident occurred with Palotay going into cardiac arrest after exercising on March 20, 2015. The defendant, Emil Minass Haftvani who was Palotay’s personal trainer, allegedly failed to take proper action in spite of his knowledge that Palotay was having a heart attack. The victim was not treated with a defibrillation device until emergency medical personnel arrived on the scene.
The gym manager, Sean Bernig, previously told City News Service that there was an AED available on site, when the incident happened. He said that the trainer, who was an independent contractor, was responsible for helping Palotay during their session together. He added that Palotay had signed a waiver of liability when he created a membership with the gym.
Lawyers representing the Palotay’s family filed a notice of settlement on Friday, October 21 with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Benny Osorio. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed to the public.
