The controversial celebrity guru who founded Bikram Yoga has been ordered by a court to pay $924,500 (pounds 645,000) to his own lawyer after she accused him of sexually harassing her.
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Meanwhile Choudhury’s lawyer, Robert Tafoya, didn’t make any comment on the order.
Earlier this morning we reported that Bikram Choudhury, the founder of an eponymous version of yoga, would be paying out over 0K to his former attorney. “I don’t do that”, he testified in court.
The lawyer alleged that she was sacked after she started investigating claims that Choudhury had raped a yoga student.
“This verdict sends an important message, that speaking out when you see signs of sexual abuse is the right thing to do”, Quigley said.
Choudhury is also facing lawsuits by six women who claim he sexually assaulted them, the first of which is set for trial in April.
Monday’s verdict is just the latest bad news for Choudhury.
Choudhury teaches the “hot yoga” technique in which sessions are conducted in temperatures that often are above 100 degrees.
The jury is considering whether to award the attorney, Minakshi Jafa-Bodden, with punitive damages on Tuesday.
Choudhury said Jafa-Bodden’s services were terminated in 2013 because she did not have a licence to practice law in the United States, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Jafa-Bodden’s lawsuit is one of several filed against the eccentric guru, who built a yoga empire and amassed a fortune after moving to California in 1971.
In 2013, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decided not to file charges against Choudhury, citing a lack of witnesses or other corroborating evidence. She also claimed he required her to meet with him in his hotel room, and that at one such meeting, Choudhury “climbed into bed, and patted the bedspread next to him”, indicating that Jafa-Bodden should join him.
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In 2014, Choudhury sued his insurance company, Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Co., for breach of contract because he said they refused to defend him in this lawsuit and the others. Jafa-Bodden’s attorneys said the records failed to properly show Choudhury’s finances, which they said were considerable.
