- A former SoulCycle executive filed a complaint on Tuesday accusing the company of discriminating against her before pregnancy.
- In a complaint filed with the New York Employment Equity Commission, Jordan Kafenbaum said she was aborted after revealing she was pregnant and then fired 32 days after giving birth.
- The complaint also alleges that Melanie Whelan, the former CEO of SoulCycle, told a senior vice president that “paternity is for pussies.”
- A SoulCycle representative said in a statement that the company “disagrees with the allegations” and “intends to defend itself vigorously.”
- Visit the Business Insider website for more stories.
A SoulCycle employee responsible for supervising nearly 400 instructors said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that she was discriminated against because she was pregnant. The lawsuit also describes other instances of opposition to parental love by the company.
In the complaint, filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in New York, Jordan Kafenbaum said she was fired 32 days after giving birth. Kafenbaum had worked at the company for almost seven years, most recently as the senior director of instructor and talent management programming.
The complaint states that executives of SoulCycle Kafenbaum said that their position was eliminated due to financial concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. It also claims that Kafenbaum has to deal with discrimination before pregnancy and that SoulCycle’s professions of inclusiveness hide deeper problems within the company.
The complaint accuses Melanie Whelan, who was the CEO of SoulCycle until November, of telling Gary Gaines, the senior vice president of the global operations and studio experience company, who had planned to take pamphlet leave, that “fatherhood is for pussies” in August 2019.
“News of the comment spread like wildfire through all levels of SoulCycle employees,” the complaint says. “Such a statement is unfairly stand alone. But when it is said by the CEO, it speaks volumes about the culture.”
Whelan did not immediately respond to a lawsuit when contacted by Business Insider.
The complaint states that SoulCycle’s approach to pregnancy and parental leave affected how Kafenbaum was treated after the disclosure of her pregnancy in September.
Last February, SoulCycle leadership told Kafenbaum that she would be moved to a new position, which she saw as a demo, the complaint says. It adds that the company offered “inconsistent excuses” for the pandemic to explain why Kafenbaum would be forced into another position after her maternity leave.
Kafenbaum was born on March 25th. On April 27, Kafenbaum was told that SoulCycle had eliminated its position due to the financial strain of the pandemic, the complaint says. It claims that three other women who had eliminated their positions around the same time had recently returned from morning leave or were pregnant.
The lawsuit follows other concerns about inclusion at SoulCycle
SoulCycle was behind reports that investor Stephen Ross held a lender for President Donald Trump in 2019.
ROBYN BECK / AFP / Getty Images)
A SoulCycle representative said in a statement to Business Insider that the company “disagrees with the allegations” and “intends to vigorously defend itself.”
“SoulCycle offers paid parental leave for all full-time employees,” said the SoulCycle representative. “Ms. Kafenbaum was unfortunately fired as part of a necessary restructuring due to the impact of COVID-19. She was paid for the entire maternity leave and offered divorce.”
The complaint was filed soon after two instructors stopped because of concerns about inclusion at SoulCycle, which has described itself as an “immersive culture of inspiration and empowerment.”
Mary Kate Hurlbutt said in an Instagram post in late July that she was disappointed in SoulCycle’s “historic lack of time, energy and resources going into creating a safe and inclusive environment for both staff and riders.”
Similarly, Soeuraya Wilson, who was described as SoulCycle’s poster-child instructor, said in a post in mid-July: “I can no longer allow my body to be used by a company that ends up next to its investors and individuals who continue to support racism and bigotry without genuine sympathy for the health and well-being of employees and riders. “Wilson added that SoulCycle and its leaders” failed to lead. “
