Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP has filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of the children of Marc Palotay, who died after suffering a minor and survivable heart attack at the Studio City Fitness Gym in Studio City, California. The gym failed to maintain an automatic external defibrillator (“AED”) device as required by state law, resulting in Mr. Palotay’s death.
On the morning of March 20, 2015, Mr. Palotay was exercising at the Studio City Fitness Gym when he when began to suffer cardiac arrest. At that time, the gym did not possess an AED device nor an AED program with trained personnel on site. As a result, Mr. Palotay’s minor heart attack became fatal.
California Health & Safety Code section 104113 requires, among other things, that all health clubs gyms maintain an AED on its premises and ensure that they have trained employees available to respond to an emergency that may involve the use of an AED unit during normal operating hours.