Sam Adams, the Struggling Gym Owner Not the Former Mayor Faces Yet Another Lawsuit in His

Sam Adams, the struggling gym owner – not the former mayor -- faces yet another lawsuit in his ever-weakening Oregon Athletic Club chain.

Locally-based owners of the gym at Duniway Park in Southwest Portland have accused Adams of removing workout equipment from their gym earlier this year and refusing to give it back. They want their equipment along with $637,899 in unpaid rent, taxes, late fees and interest.

Adams did not respond to an email seeking comment on Tuesday afternoon. A lawyer representing the Duniway owners also didn’t respond to an email.

Adams bought Oregon Athletic Clubs last year and has struggled from early on to operate the company on a variety of fronts.

Vendors have sued over unpaid bills and utilities have threatened to shut off services. Employees have filed complaints with the Oregon Bureau of Labor citing numerous bounced paychecks. Members of his four Portland area gyms have complained to the Oregon Department of Justice about deteriorating facilities and problems with billing and canceled contracts.

Adams and his members were locked out of the Duniway gym in July. He met with the building owners and worked out a payment plan, according to the lawsuit filed Nov. 27. But he didn’t meet those terms either and was evicted in late October.

The recent lawsuit seeks the back rent from Duniway and other charges.

A North Carolina-based lender confirmed last week that it had taken control of Adams’ RiverPlace gym in Southwest Portland and Hawthorn Farm in Hillsboro

John J. Michael, president ofAllstate Financial Group, said the change was an “amicable turnover” under an agreement between Adams, lender AFG and landlord D.W. Sivers Co., which had sold the Oregon Athletic Club chain to Adams.

Michael said AFG, which operates more than 200 athletic clubs nationwide, aims to restore the two locations to its standards set before Adams took over.

Adams, a former professional football player who also runs two Seattle-area gyms, continues to operate an Oregon Athletic Club gym in Bethany.

"I'm going to focus on Bethany and the clubs in Seattle, and we're going to refocus there," Adams told The Oregonian last Monday. "I'm hoping that they will bring RiverPlace and Hawthorn Farms to a place where everyone is happy."