Lawyer wins sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Bikram yoga founder
A lawyer who once worked for Bikram yoga founder Bikram Choudhury has won a lawsuit alleging he sexually harassed her and retaliated against her for investigating another woman’s rape claim against him.
A Los Angeles jury awarded Minakshi Jafa-Bodden $924,500 on Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported today. It’s one of several lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct by Choudhury.
Jafa-Bodden was hired from India in 2011 to work as general counsel in Choudhury’s yoga business, which the newspaper says has millions of followers. She says she was wrongfully terminated in 2013, allegedly because she tried to investigate claims of sexual harassment and rape by female yoga students. She also alleges sexual harassment and gender discrimination during her time with Choudhury.
Choudhury, 69, and his attorneys testified in court that Jafa-Bodden was let go because she is not a licensed attorney in the United States. At trial, Choudhury denied that he’d sexually assaulted anyone, saying “I don’t do that. I don’t have to.”
He did admit in testimony that he’d referred to his penis during teacher-training sessions, and also said he’d lied in previous testimony at the advice of his lawyers, including Jafa-Bodden. Jafa-Bodden denied advising him to lie.
The jury deliberated for a day before it came back with a unanimous verdict for Jafa-Bodden.
Choudhury still faces five other civil lawsuits from women alleging sexual harassment or assault. A sixth case appears to have settled.
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. Three women had complained that he’d sexually assaulted them and a fourth alleged that he touched her genitals without consent.
