Dr. Bronner’s Lawsuit: From Wrongful Death to Class Action

Dr. Bronner’s, the Vista, California soap company legally known as All One God Faith Inc., is at the center of two recent lawsuits. In March 2025 it settled a wrongful death suit brought by the family of Denise Lozano, a former employee who died in December 2022 after receiving what was described as a “ketamine-assisted massage” from an unlicensed practitioner. Two months later, in May 2025, a separate class action was filed in federal court alleging the company’s toothpaste contains undisclosed heavy metals.

The Wrongful Death Case

Denise Lozano was a 50-year-old employee in Dr. Bronner’s events and marketing division who suffered from back pain caused by a work-related injury. The lawsuit alleged that CEO David Bronner, his wife Mia Bronner, and a colleague arranged for Lozano to receive a “ketamine-assisted massage” at her home from Christian Allbert, a self-described “energy healer.”¹

Lozano died during or after the December 2022 session. A San Diego County medical examiner’s autopsy determined the cause of death was an overdose of MDA, a drug chemically similar to ecstasy. No ketamine was found in her system.²

Lozano’s family filed suit in San Diego County Superior Court in December 2024. The named defendants were All One God Faith Inc., Dr. Bronners All One, David Bronner, Mia Bronner, Christian Allbert, and Terry Lenley.³ The complaint alleged that Dr. Bronner’s fostered a “risky culture of drug use” in which leaders and employees routinely used psychedelics for unregulated healing and recreation, and that this environment led directly to Lozano’s death by connecting her to Allbert.¹

The Settlement

In March 2025, the Lozano and Bronner families announced they had resolved the case. A joint statement said the lawsuit had been settled “amicably” and that the claims against Dr. Bronner’s, David Bronner, and the other company-affiliated defendants would be dismissed.⁴ The dollar amount was not disclosed, and a company spokesperson declined interview requests, citing the settlement terms.²

The joint statement included a specific denial: “Neither David nor Mia Bronner recommended that Denise receive a ketamine massage.” The company also emphasized that Lozano’s session with Allbert was unrelated to its official ketamine-assisted therapy program, which runs through a licensed third-party provider.⁴

What’s Still Pending Against the Practitioner

The claims against Christian Allbert were not resolved by the settlement. Court records show the case remains active against him in San Diego County Superior Court under the same case number.³

Allbert is not certified to practice medicine or massage therapy in California. In 2023 he pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a controlled substance for sale after a traffic stop and was sentenced to two years of formal probation. That conviction was unrelated to Lozano’s death.¹

He was never criminally charged in connection with the fatal overdose. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s San Diego Field Division has closed its investigation. A DEA spokesperson said there is “no pending prosecution against Allbert in the case,” and the agency is not aware of any open investigations by other law enforcement bodies.² The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office noted that it only files charges when prosecutors believe they can prove them beyond a reasonable doubt.⁵

The Company’s Official Ketamine Benefit Is a Separate Program

The Lozano lawsuit drew attention to a well-known part of the company’s identity. In January 2022, about eleven months before Lozano’s death, Dr. Bronner’s became one of the first U.S. employers to cover ketamine-assisted therapy as part of its health insurance. That benefit runs through Enthea, a licensed third-party administrator, with sessions provided by Flow Integrative, a San Diego clinical provider. Employees working 30 or more hours per week are eligible, and sessions must be cleared by a licensed physician.⁶

The company maintains that its formal benefit and the in-home massage Lozano received were separate. After her death, Dr. Bronner’s added a disclaimer to its website stating it “does not support or encourage the unlicensed or illegal practice or use of ketamine or Ketamine-Assisted Therapy in any circumstances.”¹ Since 2015, the company has donated more than $23 million to psychedelic research and drug policy reform organizations, and CEO David Bronner has served on the board of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies.⁷

The Toothpaste Class Action

In May 2025, plaintiff Bianca Johnston filed a class action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California (Case No. 3:25-cv-01147). The complaint alleges the company marketed its toothpaste as containing chemicals safe for human health while failing to disclose the presence of mercury, lead, and arsenic.⁸

The complaint cites an April 2025 report by a product safety advocacy group that reported 160 parts per billion of lead, 6 ppb of mercury, and 23 ppb of arsenic in the toothpaste. Johnston argues these levels exceed FDA safety standards for bottled water, which cap mercury at 2 ppb and arsenic at 10 ppb. The lawsuit seeks a product recall, an injunction against sales, and restitution for consumers. The case remains in active litigation, with no reported settlement or dismissal.⁸

1
KPBS. Dr. Bronner Overdose Death
2
KPBS. Dr. Bronner’s Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Family of Former Employee
3
Superior Court of California, County of San Diego. Estate of Denise Lozano v. Allbert, Case No. 24CU026973C
4
Dr. Bronner’s. Lawsuit Resolved: Statement by the Lozano and Bronner Families
5
The Coast News. Family Pursues Lawsuit Against Encinitas Healer in Ketamine Massage Death
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Dr. Bronner’s. Dr. Bronner’s to Provide Psychedelic Therapy as Employee Healthcare Benefit
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The New York Times. Ketamine Therapy as Employee Benefit
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Top Class Actions. Dr. Bronner’s Class Action Lawsuit Claims Toothpaste Contains Neurotoxic Heavy Metals