D.C. Health Club Byndfit Hit With $8.2M Judgment for Back Rent
D.C. Superior Court judgment caps years of litigation over the Chinatown space
By Jacob Gardenswartz May 8, 2024 5:05 pm
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An affiliate of D.C. health club Byndfit was ordered by a District of Columbia Superior Court judge on Tuesday to pay nearly $8.2 million to its landlord for back rent on its Chinatown fitness space. The penalty could increase if the company is also deemed liable for attorneys’ fees.
The ruling from Judge Judith Pipe caps off a years-long legal battle between Byndfit and its landlord, Terrell Place Property, a subsidiary of Boston-based developer Beacon Capital Partners. In early 2023, a different judge found the company could be evicted from its space at 650 F Street NW for nonpayment of rent.
Representatives for Byndfit and Beacon Capital Partners did not immediately respond to inquiries about the ruling.
Launched in 2020 by co-founders Ryan Macaulay and Raymond Rahbar, Byndfit claimed it would revolutionize the fitness industry with multiple locations throughout D.C., but quickly ran into financial trouble amid the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Byndfit repeatedly delayed its grand opening and later disbanded the location and company altogether. BF Chinatown, the subsidiary overseeing Byndfit’s Chinatown space, first pursued a Chapter 11 bankruptcy declaration in October 2022 to try to circumvent eviction, though that and other attempts were struck down by judges as alleged delay tactics.
Beyond the $8.2 million BF Chinatown must now pay, an additional hearing to consider whether the entity should be liable for attorneys’ fees and other costs not included in the initial judgment is scheduled for May 21.
