hey BX,
I recently posted a very small portion of a case in which an ex-member and her mother filed suit against the International Society for Krishna, known as the Hare Krishnas:
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ROBIN GEORGE et al., Plaintiffs, Respondents and Cross-appellants, v. INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR
KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS OF CALIFORNIA, etc., et al., Defendants, Appellants and Cross-respondents.
No. D007153.
Court of Appeal of California, Fourth Appellate District, Division One.
213 Cal. App. 3d 729; 262 Cal. Rptr. 217; 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 894
August 30, 1989
NOTICE: NOT CITABLE - ORDERED NOT PUBLISHED
SUBSEQUENT HISTORY: [**1] As modified September 29, 1989; Appellants' petitions for review DENIED
November 30, 1989 and Reporter of Decisions directed not to publish this opn. in the Official Reports (Cal. Const., art. VI,
14; rule 976 Cal. Rules of Ct.).
PRIOR HISTORY: [**1]
Superior Court of Orange County, No. 277565, James A. Jackman, Judge.
COUNSEL:
Alan G. Martin, Kent L. Richland, Feris M. Greenberger, Robert A. Olson, Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland, W. Marshall
Morgan, Walter M. Yoka, Morgan, Wenzel & McNicholas, David M. Liberman and Larry J. Roberts for Defendants,
Appellants and Cross-respondents.
Chaitanya Tanna, Bhishma K. Agnihotri, Edward McGlynn Gaffney, Jr., Morton B. Jackson, MacDonald, Halsted &
Laybourne, Barry A. Fisher, Robert C. Moest, Fleishman, Fisher & Moest, Carol A. Sobel, Paul L. Hoffman, Mark D.
Rosenbaum and Mark Mausert as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendants, Appellants and Cross-respondents.
Louis E. Goebel, Cheryl Shensa, Goebel, Shensa & Beale, David A. Niddrie and Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch for
Plaintiffs, Respondents and Cross-appellants.
OPINIONBY: WIENER
OPINION: [*221] WIENER, J.
Plaintiff Robin George and her mother, Marcia George, brought this action against four corporate entities of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) n1 and two individual Krishna officials n2 alleging the defendants
"brainwashed" Robin into joining the Krishna movement and thereafter conspired to conceal her from her parents. A jury
agreed, [**2] awarding the Georges compensatory and punitive damages in excess of $32 million, a figure which was later
substantially reduced by the trial court. Robin's compensatory award in excess of $1.8 million included damages for false
imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, wrongful death, and libel. Marcia George's $1,510,000
compensatory award was based on emotional distress and libel.
n1 The four corporate defendants are ISKCON of California, ISKCON of New York (which controlled the Krishna temples
in California before the formation of ISKCON of California), ISKCON of Louisiana and ISKCON of Canada.
n2 Defendant Roy Christopher Richard was president of the Krishna temple in Laguna Beach. Defendant Nico Kuyt was
president of the Krishna temple in New Orleans.
In a general sense, we conclude that defendants' principal acts constituted torts against Marcia George but not against Robin.
Accordingly, we reverse the judgment in favor of Robin to eliminate the damages awarded as to all causes of action except
the cause of action for wrongful death. At the same time, we reject defendants' multifaceted attacks on the judgment in favor
of Marcia based on libel and intentional [**3] infliction theories. We also reject defendants' claim of evidentiary and
jurisdictional error as well as assertions that the amount of punitive damages awarded were excessive. As we shall explain in
greater detail, the result of our decision requires the trial court to enter judgment in favor of Robin for $75,000 (damages for
wrongful death) and permits Marcia's judgment to remain at the trial court-reduced sum of $2,910,000 (emotional distress:
$400,000 compensatory, $2 million punitive; libel: $10,000 compensatory, $500,000 punitive).
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a friend, that lurks but does not post, contacted me regarding this posting. She was surprized that I emphasized the amount the plaintiffs were awarded because she believed me not to be interested in monetary awards. I thought about going back and clarifying, but it didn't appear that anyone was interested anyway. But....I'll attempt to clarify why I posted that suit because it is relevant to your thread.
My reason for posting a small portion of that suit was not only due to the fact that the case is fifty pages long, with approximately three scattered pages being informative, but to point out that the suit was not only NOT thrown out, but the Georges were initially awarded 32 million, and though the trial court reduced the amount and the holding was appealed, the appellate court still found for the Georges. So....my point was that lawsuits can be won against religious organizations (hare krishnas are recognized as a religion). And the named defendants in this case that accepted responsibility for their actions were individual officers AND CORPORATE ENTITIES. And the court found PUNITIVE DAMAGES appropriate ! This was an '89 case.
I'm certainly not attempting to imply that anyone should rush out and find a lawyer. (Personally, I find it more significant when a person stands up to an entity that has harmed them, win or lose, than when a person seeks a lawsuit for strictly monetary gain.) I'm only pointing out that RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN THE PAST TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS.
post note: Marcia George was never a Hare Krishna, her minor daughter was apparently aided by the hare krishnas. The daughter apparently claimed that her parents beat her. The parents waged a media war against the Krishnas. They waged back. The daughter, Robin, ultimately returned home and turned against the krishnas. Her father died from a heart attack, due to the stress brought on by searching for his daughter. Both mother and daughter won a "wrongful death" action against the Krishna's.
Edited by - deddaisy on 30 September 2002 0:58:29
