Florida Injury Lawyer Blawg
Leesfield & Partners has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a minor who was sexually assaulted at an LA Fitness in Miami by a gym member with a known history of violent behavior.
This case is being handled by Partner Justin B. Shapiro and Evan Robinson, a Trial Lawyer at the firm, who said that this preventable and traumatic incident represents a gross violation of basic safety standards.
“LA Fitness knew this assailant was a dangerous individual who had previously exhibited violent conduct at the gym,” he said. “They did nothing to restrict his access to the gym and their failure to act is the reason why our client experienced this horrific trauma.”
Leesfield & Partners has a 48-year history of representing the victims and survivors of sexual violence against businesses, airlines, resorts, schools, cruise lines, churches and other youth service programs. Our experienced attorneys bring compassion, relentless determination and deep legal expertise to every case, working tirelessly to achieve the best possible outcome for each client.
What Happened?
The incident happened on May 30, 2023, when the minor, 14, was dropped off by her father to exercise with friends. During their time exercising, her friends notified our client that a man was staring at her. The man was later identified as Richard Bosch. At the time, he was 22 years old.
Later on, he asked the friends how old our client was. Uncomfortable with his behavior, our client left to exercise in the gym’s isolated boxing area to distance herself from Bosch. He followed her and asked her how old she was. When she told him she was 14 he lied and told her he was 20 years old. She moved to the opposite end of the boxing room and was followed once more by Bosch who began a relentless and inappropriate line of sexually charged questioning.
Bosch continued to follow and harass the minor as she moved throughout the boxing room. At one point, he shifted his clothing to display the outline an erection while our client was facing a mirror in the gym. The girl screamed and was approached from behind by Bosch who then groped her.
She attempted to free herself but couldn’t. Bosch cornered her and pinned her against a wall where he grabbed her by her inner thighs near her genital area. In another attempt to escape, our client pushed him off of her and ran out of the area. To keep her from leaving, Bosch kicked our client and continued his pattern of following her from room-to-room.
As she tried to exit the gym, Bosch grabbed her arm once more to prevent her from leaving. The minor called her father in hysterics, and the incident was immediately reported to police. Bosch was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a minor between 12 and 16 years old.
Bosch entered into a plea agreement and was found guilty of Felony Battery in December of 2023. He was sentenced to four years of probation. In February 2025, however, he violated the terms of his parole when he was charged with criminal mischief, court records show.
Devastating Affects
This incident has impacted nearly every aspect of this child’s life, causing her to develop PTSD as well as recurring flashbacks and night terrors.
This young girl, who should be focused on her friendships and her plans for the future, lives with the weight of this trauma every day, Mr. Robinson said.
“She lives in a constant state of fear that she may run into her assailant, and she’s haunted by flashbacks and nightmares,” he said. “No person should have to live like that — and especially not a child.”
Prior Behavior
Tragically, this incident was entirely preventable had LA Fitness taken appropriate action to revoke or restrict Bosch’s membership after he exhibited violent behavior at the gym just weeks prior to his attack on our client. In that incident, Bosch was described as screaming at the top of his lungs challenging fellow gym members to fight him. Before that, he received a warning from the gym for similar conduct. Despite this knowledge, LA Fitness did nothing to restrict Bosch’s access to the gym.
Compounding matters, at least one gym employee and gym admitted to seeing Bosch follow the young girl on the day of the attack.
“When businesses ignore clear warning signs about dangerous individuals, it puts everyone at risk,” Mr. Robinson said. “This case is about making sure companies take responsibility and put people’s safety first — so what happened to our client doesn’t happen to someone else.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, you are not alone. Help can be found by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
