Violinist wins right to compensation after career-ending Pilates accident

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A violinist who sustained career-ending injuries at a celebrity-owned fitness studio has won the right to over £250,000 compensation.

Maya Meron, 44, was hospitalised with a fractured left elbow and serious abdominal injuries after a Pilates machine collapsed forward while she was using it at Heartcore Studio in Hampstead, London, in March 2019.

Meron is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington and London’s Royal Academy of Music. Prior to the accident, she worked as a violinist touring around the world, including with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle and performed at the BBC Proms.  As the accident put an end to her playing career, she sued Heartcore Fitness Limited, owned by Jess Schuring, which has studios over London and counts celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Robbie Williams and Elle McPherson as celebrity clients.

Since the accident, Meron has undergone elbow and reconstructive abdominal surgery and continues to receive treatment to assist with her mobility. She is unable to play violin as she suffers from long-term nerve damage to two nerves in her left arm and cannot separate two fingers in her left hand.

She alleges that the fitness company denied that the incident occurred, forcing her to embark on a four-year investigation, gathering evidence of her safety concerns. She went undercover at Heartcore gyms, and sent a private investigator in to collect evidence on the way the Pilates machines are operated.

Heartcore has been ordered to pay 85 per cent of Meron’s compensation claim, including an upfront bill of £250,000. The final payment is due to be settled by a High Court judge.

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