Post by Logan on Jan 26, 2016 23:51:23 GMT -6
Yoga guru Bikram Choudhury must pay $6.4 million in punitive damages, jury decides
A Los Angeles jury on Tuesday awarded more than $6.4 million in the first of a series of lawsuits against renowned yoga guru Bikram Choudhury in which women accuse the founder of the popular Bikram yoga style of sexual misconduct.
The verdict marks a significant financial and legal blow to Choudhury, who claimed millions of followers in a global empire centered around “hot yoga,” performed in sweltering rooms.
The case involved a lawsuit by his onetime legal advisor, Minakshi Jafa-Bodden, who alleged that Choudhury sexually harassed her while she worked for him and that she was fired after she began investigating claims that he had raped a yoga student. Six other women in recent years have filed civil lawsuits accusing Choudhury of sexually assaulting them.
Choudhury has denied any wrongdoing, and Los Angeles County prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges in several cases, saying there was no corroborating evidence.
Read more: www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bikram-yoga-lawsuit-20160126-story.html
A Los Angeles jury on Tuesday awarded more than $6.4 million in the first of a series of lawsuits against renowned yoga guru Bikram Choudhury in which women accuse the founder of the popular Bikram yoga style of sexual misconduct.
The verdict marks a significant financial and legal blow to Choudhury, who claimed millions of followers in a global empire centered around “hot yoga,” performed in sweltering rooms.
The case involved a lawsuit by his onetime legal advisor, Minakshi Jafa-Bodden, who alleged that Choudhury sexually harassed her while she worked for him and that she was fired after she began investigating claims that he had raped a yoga student. Six other women in recent years have filed civil lawsuits accusing Choudhury of sexually assaulting them.
Choudhury has denied any wrongdoing, and Los Angeles County prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges in several cases, saying there was no corroborating evidence.
Read more: www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-bikram-yoga-lawsuit-20160126-story.html