Bikram Choudhury's founding company Bikram Yoga Inc. has filed for bankruptcy. His company has more than $16 million of debts in his company in wake of years of sexual harassment lawsuits against the founder.
Bikram Choudhury's founding company Bikram Yoga Inc. has filed for bankruptcy. His company has more than $16 million of debts in his company in wake of years of sexual harassment lawsuits against the founder.
Bikram Yoga was the most trendsetting way to exercise for a long period of time. Bikram Choudhary travelled the world promoting his business. He popularised the concept of hot yoga, wherein he made the practitioners do yoga in 26 different postures (hatha yoga) in studios heated up to 40 degree Celsius. Many of the Bikram Yoga studios owned by him are now renamed as Hot Yoga centres.
Bikram Choudhary born in Kolkata emigrated to the US and formed yoga studios in California and Hawaii.
He has been accused of sexual misconduct by his students, instructors and teacher trainees. The sexual harassment cases and stories began emerging in the year 2013. He has faced many lawsuits of alleging sexual harassment, assault, racism and homophobia. The first lawsuit in 2013 accuses of rape.
Petra Starke, a former Obama White House lawyer and the largest bankruptcy claimants said in a 2015 lawsuit that she was hired in 2013 as chief executive of Bikram’s Yoga College of India, and one of her main roles was to help Choudhury in “navigating the avalanche of sexual harassment and sexual assault suits filed against him.”
After his business trip to New York and Atlantic City, Choudhary was accused of more acts of apparent sexual misconduct. According to the bankruptcy records, two women have claims of over $11 million.
In May 2017 a California judge issued an arrest warrant against him. “Bikram Choudhury created a hyper-sexualized, offensive and degrading environment for women by, among other things, demanding that female staffers brush his hair and give him massages,” said Jafa-Bodden, former attorney California, in her 2013 lawsuit.
Jafa also accused him of fraudulent transferring of assets such as luxury cars including Bentleys and Ferraris to avoid paying judgements against him. He also has a fleet of over 44 luxury cars in a warehouse in California. He tried shipping his cars and other property overseas. Aaron Osten his lawyer says that the court has ordered the legal team to prevent him from moving his property.
Rajashree Choudhary, his wife has also filed a divorce in the year 2016.
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 "Bikram Choudhary's hot yoga session, California.")
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