LOS ANGELES: A California judge issued an arrest warrant for yoga guru Bikram Choudhury after he failed to pay almost $6.5 million to a former legal adviser in a 2013 sexual harassment case. A bail at $8 million was set by Superior Court Judge Edward Moreton. The founder of the Bikram Yoga empire was sued in 2013 by his onetime legal adviser Minakshi 'Mikki' Jafabodden who accused him of sexual harassment. She alleged that he fired her after she refused to help him cover up allegations that he raped a yoga student.
After being ordered to pay $6.47 million in punitive damages in January, last year, Choudhury fled California shortly after the verdict, Minakshi's attorney said. With no attorney representing him in court, the accused was served court papers in May. While he had managed to move some of his assets, including a fleet of luxury cars, to Nevada and Florida, court orders were issued to prevent him moving property out of the country, Carla Minnard said. During the trial, he had claimed that he was nearly bankrupt after spending millions of dollars in legal fees as his business was no longer thriving.
Choudhury's lawyers have said he never sexually assaulted any of the women suing him, pointing out that prosecutors had declined to bring charges in the cases. In an interview in 2015, Choudhury denied the allegations. "Women love me," he said. "So if I really wanted to involve the women, I don't have to assault the women."
