Disclaimer for Booking Independent Trainers Online Via Rented Studio's Website

by Michael Fedyna
(San Francisco, CA)

Hi,

I'm asking this question on behalf of my friend who owns Body Chemistry Studio (www.bodychemistrystudio.com). You'll notice on the Trainers page (www.bodychemistrystudio.com/trainers) that 6 trainers are listed in addition to the owner. These trainers rent space from the studio owner and are independent contractors. They teach group classes at the studio whereby clients pay the studio for the group classes and the studio discounts the trainer's rent for teaching these group classes. In addition to group classes, these trainers rent the space to provide their own private training classes. These trainers bill their own clients using their own system. So, some clients pay only the studio directly. Some clients pay only their trainer directly. Some pay both (if they take group classes AND private sessions).

We made a form on the website for clients to "BOOK" ("REQUEST") a trainer from our website. These forms go to info@bodychemistrystudio.com and then forward automatically to the respective trainer that the form corresponds to. From there, our front desk staff, having a copy of the form filled out by the client on our website, ensures the trainer has followed up with the client. No fees are charged from these forms.

One of our trainers is concerned of any legal implications this system and arrangement or the way it appears on the site may affect the studio owner. Do we need an additional disclaimer in our Terms of Use? Is the studio owner opening herself to unnecessary liability from her clients or trainers?