LA Fitness employee: We never said Muslim couldn't pray

An LA Fitness employee filed a statement in district court Friday saying he and other employees didn't tell a Muslim man that he could no longer pray at the Oakley gym, contrary to what a lawsuit alleges.

In a written declaration, Jaymes Thomas said he and two other employees approached Mohamed Fall on Jan. 29 after receiving several complaints from members that they couldn't access the coat rack or lockers.

The three men waited until Fall finished praying and then told him about the complaints, according to the statement. They told him that he could pray, but just not in an area where it made if difficult for other members to move around.

Thomas, a Muslim himself who prays at the gym, said he suggested other areas in the gym where Fall could pray.

"Because prayer is very important to my Muslim faith, I wanted to make sure that Mr. Fall knew that he was welcome to pray at the club," Thomas said.

Thomas' statement comes after Fall filed a federal court lawsuit Monday against LA Fitness, its corporate parents and four workers at the gym located on Marburg Avenue. In it he claims that gym employees told him never to pray at LA Fitness again or he would be kicked out.

Thomas and Fall had talked about their faith before, Thomas said in the statement. Thomas said he had seen Fall pray at the gym several times in 2014 and 2015.

Fall found out that Thomas was a Muslim and asked where he prayed at the club. Thomas told him that he prayed outside the men's and women's locker rooms.

"I also told Mr. Fall that he could use the 'Kids Klub' area for prayer when it was not being used as a babysitting space for members' children," Thomas said.

Thomas said in the statement that Fall claimed he wasn't a Muslim.

Thomas' statement comes after Fall filed a federal court lawsuit against LA Fitness, its corporate parents and four workers at the gym located on Marburg Avenue.