The Strad News – Violinist wins compensation after Pilates accident that ended his career

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A violinist who suffered career-ending injuries at a prominent gym is entitled to more than £250,000 in compensation.

Maya Meron, 44, was hospitalised with a broken left elbow and severe abdominal injuries after a Pilates machine collapsed forward while in use at the Heartcore studio in Hampstead, London, in March 2019.

Meron is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington and the Royal Academy of Music in London. Before her accident, she toured the world as a violinist, including with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle, and performed at the BBC Proms. When the accident ended her career as a musician, she sued Heartcore Fitness Limited, owned by Jess Schuring. The company has studios across London and counts celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Robbie Williams and Elle McPherson among its high-profile clients.

Since the accident, Meron has undergone elbow and reconstructive abdominal surgery and continues to receive treatments to improve her mobility. She is unable to play the violin as she suffers from long-term nerve damage to two nerves in her left arm and is unable to spread two fingers on her left hand.

She claims the fitness company denied the incident, forcing her to spend four years investigating and gathering evidence to support her safety concerns. She went undercover at Heartcore gyms and sent a private investigator to collect evidence of how the Pilates equipment was operated.

Heartcore was ordered to pay 85 percent of Meron’s compensation claim, including an upfront payment of £250,000, with the final payment to be determined by a High Court judge.

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