Woman files lawsuit against former Columbia Planet Fitness trainer who pleaded guilty to filming women

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman has filed a lawsuit against a man who pleaded guilty in April to filming women while they were undressed at a Columbia Planet Fitness in 2024.

Kenneth Steele -- who was a trainer at the Planet Fitness on Nifong Boulevard in Columbia – pleaded guilty on April 6 to invasion of privacy and was sentenced to two years of probation. He was previously charged with invasion of privacy and third-degree domestic assault.

The plaintiff in the civil case -- which was filed on Friday in Boone County -- is described as a female employee of the same Planet Fitness location. She was one of the recorded victims, the petition says.

The woman would allegedly use the tanning booth when she was off-duty, the petition says. Steele is accused of placing a camera in a towel holder in that same area in order to watch women undress, according to court documents in previous reporting.

The petition claims Steele would try to “lure” women into using that specific tanning room with phrases such as “Use this room, the tanning bed just got new bulbs installed.”

The lawsuit accuses Steele of invasion of privacy.