Civil Case Over Deaths of Participants in Arizona Sweat Lodge Ceremony Settles
The Arizona civil case involving deaths of three participants in a sweat lodge ceremony has settled.
The agreement does not include an admission of liability from the property’s owners, Michael and Amayra Hamilton, the Associated Press reports.
Ted Schmidt, a lawyer who represents two parties in the civil action, told the Associated Press that the agreement was reached last week.
The manslaughter trial of James Arthur Ray, a self-help author who led the ceremony, began in February and is ongoing. The ceremony took place in October 2009, and Ray was arrested and charged last year, the Associated Press reported at the time. Ray’s attorneys say the deaths were an accident.
Related coverage:
Associated Press: “Witness emotional describing sweat lodge ceremony”
