Bikram Choudhury, the founder of Bikram hot yoga, has been sued at least half a dozen times in California by women and former employees alleging sexual assault, rape, harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination. Juries and judges have entered verdicts and default judgments against him totaling tens of millions of dollars. He has paid little of it. Choudhury denied the allegations, left the United States, moved assets out of reach, and put his company into bankruptcy. A California judge issued an $8 million arrest warrant for him in 2017, but no criminal charges have ever been filed.
Who Sued Him and What They Alleged
The civil cases began in 2013 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Six women filed separate lawsuits against Choudhury and Bikram’s Yoga College of India.
Sarah Baughn, a longtime student, teacher, and competitor, alleged sexual harassment, sexual battery, gender violence, false imprisonment, discrimination, and defamation. She said Choudhury made unwanted advances during teacher training, pressed his body against hers under the guise of posture adjustments, and trapped her in a hotel room where he kissed her and ground against her while blocking the door.1Oxygen. Bikram Choudhury Accuser Sarah Baughn: Where Is She Now She also alleged he retaliated after she rejected him.2New York Times. Bikram Yoga Founder Is Sued by Former Student
Larissa Anderson alleged Choudhury raped her at his mansion while his family slept upstairs, and later refused to promote her Seattle studio after she rejected further advances.3ABC News. Bikram Yoga Founder Accuser Awarded $7M in Sexual Harassment Case4Los Angeles Times. Bikram Yoga Lawsuits Maggie Genthner alleged two counts of rape, claiming Choudhury forced her into yoga postures while assaulting her.5The Guardian. Bikram Hot Yoga Scandal: What He Wanted Jill Lawler alleged she was groomed, sexually assaulted, and raped starting at age 18 during a 2010 teacher training and continuing while she worked at his studios and visited his Los Angeles home.6USAttorneys. Yoga Guru Bikram Choudhury Faces Sixth Sexual Harassment Lawsuit A separate suit by Pandhora Williams alleged racial discrimination and a hostile environment with homophobic and misogynistic remarks; it settled out of court in May 2013.
Two former employees also sued. Minakshi “Miki” Jafa-Bodden, Choudhury’s former general counsel, alleged retaliation, wrongful termination, and sexual harassment, claiming he fired her after she refused to help cover up a student’s rape allegation.3ABC News. Bikram Yoga Founder Accuser Awarded $7M in Sexual Harassment Case Petra Starke, hired as president and CEO in 2013, alleged breach of contract, hostile work environment, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination, saying the company stopped paying her salary after she reported witnessing Choudhury force an instructor to perform oral sex during a 2015 business trip.7California Court of Appeal. Respondent’s Brief, Starke v. Choudhury
Choudhury denied everything. In a March 2013 statement he called the charges “false,” and his lawyers have maintained any contact was consensual.8Time. Yoga Guru Bikram Choudhury
The $7.3 Million Jafa-Bodden Verdict
The largest jury award came in Jafa-Bodden’s case. In January 2016, a Los Angeles jury found unanimously in her favor and concluded Choudhury had acted with “malice, oppression, or fraud.” Jurors awarded $924,500 in compensatory damages on January 25 and $6,471,878 in punitive damages the following day, for a total exceeding $7.3 million.9Courthouse News Service. LA Yoga Guru Struggles to Appeal $7 Million Judgment Her suit had also alleged Choudhury promoted an atmosphere of “misogyny, homophobia, and racism,” including discriminatory remarks about African-American students and anti-gay tirades.10LAist. Bikram Yoga Founder Lawsuit: Racism, Rape
Default Judgments and Settlements
Two more judgments followed, both by default after Choudhury stopped participating.
In Starke’s case, Choudhury failed to appear for trial. A judge held a two-day bench trial and entered judgment for $5,174,557 in compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and costs.7California Court of Appeal. Respondent’s Brief, Starke v. Choudhury In Lawler’s case, a California Superior Court judge entered a default judgment of $9,182,587 after Choudhury repeatedly failed to comply with court-ordered discovery. By then Choudhury had already left the country and his company had filed for bankruptcy, so Lawler’s ability to collect was largely limited to whatever could be recovered from insurance policies.11Sports Litigation Alert. Court Awards $9 Million in Sexual Harassment Case Involving Yoga Guru Bikram Choudhury
Other cases settled on confidential terms. Baughn later said the amount “didn’t cover very much” and that she would have preferred to keep fighting, but Choudhury was gone. “I didn’t imagine that I would ever settle,” she said. “And, in fact, I turned down multiple settlement offers.”1Oxygen. Bikram Choudhury Accuser Sarah Baughn: Where Is She Now Sharon Clerkin, who alleged she was fired for becoming pregnant, obtained a $3.6 million claim.12Sydney Morning Herald. Bikram Choudhury, Hot Yoga Guru, Seeks US Bankruptcy
Why There Were No Criminal Charges
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office received a case for filing consideration in 2013 and declined to prosecute, saying there was “insufficient evidence to file criminal charges,” according to office spokesperson Greg Risling. As of November 2019, the office said it was “unaware of any ongoing investigation” but left the door open if new evidence emerged.13Los Angeles Times. Bikram Choudhury Netflix Documentary: Yoga Sexual Assault Every case against Choudhury has been civil.
How He Avoided Paying
After the Jafa-Bodden verdict, Choudhury did not pay. According to court filings and plaintiff attorneys, he transferred trademarks to his daughter, moved a fleet of more than 20 luxury cars to Florida and other locations in violation of court orders, and eventually left the United States. He was found conducting teacher training sessions in Mexico, where he was served with court papers. Jafa-Bodden’s attorney said Choudhury responded by declaring, “Those legal papers are my toilet paper.”9Courthouse News Service. LA Yoga Guru Struggles to Appeal $7 Million Judgment
On May 24, 2017, a Los Angeles judge found Choudhury in contempt and issued an arrest warrant with bail set at $8 million. The warrant was based on his defiance of court orders in the civil case, not a criminal charge. To help satisfy the judgment, the court gave Jafa-Bodden control of his yoga franchise network and physical assets, including a fleet of 43 luxury cars that included 13 Rolls-Royces, eight Bentleys, and three Ferraris.14UPI. Judge Issues Arrest Warrant for Hot Yoga Founder Much of it had vanished. The cars were reported missing, and attorneys were still searching for other property, including a diamond-encrusted watch reportedly worth over a million dollars. “Bikram is no longer the boss of Bikram Yoga. I am,” Jafa-Bodden said. “Now I want to sell what we can so I can get my money and move on with my life.”15SooLegal. Hot Yoga Founder Bikram Choudhury Loses Lawsuit, Has to Give Up His Entire Empire
Choudhury tried to appeal. In August 2017, California’s Second Appellate District dismissed the appeal under the “disentitlement doctrine,” finding he had engaged in “willful disobedience and a pattern of obstructive tactics” regarding post-judgment court orders.16California Court of Appeal. Jafa-Bodden v. Choudhury, Case No. B272374
The Bankruptcy
In November 2017, Bikram Choudhury Yoga Inc. and related entities filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Central District of California. The filing listed liabilities of up to $50 million against assets of up to $1 million, a signal that creditors holding court judgments were unlikely to be paid in full.12Sydney Morning Herald. Bikram Choudhury, Hot Yoga Guru, Seeks US Bankruptcy Plaintiffs accused Choudhury of fraudulently transferring assets, including luxury vehicles, to avoid the judgments. The U.S. Trustee moved to dismiss the case or convert it to a Chapter 7 liquidation, citing the company’s failure to file basic required documents including bank account information, tax returns, and financial statements.17Wall Street Journal. Trustee in Bikram Choudhury Yoga Chapter 11 Seeks to Dismiss Case
Where the Cases Stand Now
The judgments are on the books; most of the money has never been collected. The $8 million arrest warrant remains active if Choudhury returns to the United States.18ABC News. Arrest Warrant Issued for Yoga Guru Bikram Choudhury He has been reported living in India and conducting teacher trainings in India, Thailand, and Mexico.19The Guardian. Bikram Choudhury: Yoga Founder Abuse Netflix Documentary His official website advertises nine-week Bikram Yoga Teacher Training programs in Thailand for spring and fall 2026, promising students can “train directly with Bikram.”20Bikram Yoga. Bikram Yoga Teacher Training