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Moving city is no excuse to quit the gym: court

The Local Germany
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Moving city is no excuse to quit the gym: court
Breaking out of a gym contract in Germany takes more than upper body strength. Photo: DPA

Nomadic fitness fanatics across Germany suffered a blow on Wednesday, after the country's top court ruled that moving to a different city is no grounds for breaking a contract with your gym.

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A 36-year-old man who moved from Hanover to Rostock because of his job as a navy sailor should not be allowed to cancel his contract with a gym in the first town, the judges at the Federal Court of Justice said.

The judges wrote that only someone with an "important reason" that would prevent them from seeing a contract to its end - such as serious illness or pregnancy - should be able to get out of a gym contract early.

“The reasons for moving home – whether they are caused by family or career – are as a rule completely on the customer's side and can be influenced by him,” the judges found.

The gym operator fought the case all the way to the highest court in a bid to recover a total of €719.90 in membership fees.

But with an estimated 10 million gym contracts active across the Federal Republic, the case could have had massive implications for gym bunnies and gym operators everywhere.

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