Byron v. Rajneesh Foundation International
Encyclopedia
Byron v. Rajneesh Foundation International was a 1985 lawsuit filed by Helen Byron in Portland, Oregon
against Rajneesh Foundation International, the organization of Indian guru
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
(now known as Osho). Byron had been recruited to join the Rajneesh movement
by her daughter, Barbara. She traveled to India to join her daughter and the organization. Byron provided over US$
300,000 to the organization, and some of the money was used to buy an armored Rolls Royce
for Rajneesh. Byron spoke to the legal leader of the organization, Ma Anand Sheela
(Sheela Silverman), and requested that her money be returned, asserting that it was a loan. Sheela reportedly told her that the money would be returned to her once the group moved to Oregon
. Byron followed the organization to its location in Oregon
, known as Rajneeshpuram
, and requested through an attorney that her money be returned. In 1985, she filed a lawsuit against the organization in federal court, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
.
Both Byron and Sheela testified in the case: Byron testified that her money was a loan to the organization to purchase land in India, and Sheela that the money was a donation to the organization. A survey submitted by the Rajneesh organization in the case was deemed unreliable by the judge because the survey had been conducted by volunteers who were also members of the organization. The jury decided in favor of Byron, and awarded her her money plus punitive damages
. Subsequent to the jury decision, Ma Anand Sheela and an inner circle of followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh at Rajneeshpuram compiled a hit list
of people they planned to murder, including both Helen and Barbara Byron, as well as United States Attorney
Charles Turner
and Oregon Attorney General
David Frohnmayer. Sheela and other followers obtained handgun
s in Texas
and false identification in New York, but the plot was never carried out.
, was recruited into the Rajneesh movement
by her daughter Barbara J. Byron, who had previously joined the group in India. She traveled to India
and joined her daughter as a follower of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in 1978. While within the Osho movement Helen Byron was known as Ma Idam Shunyo, and her daughter was referred to as Makima.
Byron gave considerable sums of money to Rajneesh, and lent or contributed more than US$
300,000 to his group which was used to purchase an armored Rolls Royce
for him. Byron requested the money be returned to her and said it was a loan, and stated that the legal leader and president of the Rajneesh organization, Ma Anand Sheela
, had only asked for the money on a temporary basis. Byron stated Sheela was aware that Byron needed the money returned for treatment and special needs related to her multiple sclerosis
.
James T. Richardson writes in the 2004 book Regulating Religion that "Ma Sheela is alleged to have stalled Mrs. Byron, using the reasoning that the group was soon to relocate in Oregon, and that the money would be returned after that." Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh moved to Oregon
and Byron moved as well, and communicated through a lawyer to Rajneesh that she still requested the return of her money. According to the Associated Press
, Byron left the organization in 1984 after Ma Anand Sheela requested followers commit themselves to a lifestyle that Byron did not agree with.
Byron filed a lawsuit against Rajneesh Foundation International claiming she had been defrauded by the organization, and the suit proceeded to a six-member jury trial
in 1985 in federal court
Portland, Oregon
. Byron's claim included $309,990 she stated she had given as a loan to the Rajneesh Foundation, in addition to $80,000 she had deposited in a Rajneeshee bank, and $1.5 million in punitive damages
. Byron testified at trial that the $309,990 was given in 1980 as a loan to Rajneesh Foundation International for the organization to buy land in Poona, India, and that the $80,000 was to be held in safekeeping, while Ma Anand Sheela testified that Byron's money was a donation and not a loan. Rajneesh Foundation International submitted an opinion survey in the case, but the survey was conducted by volunteer members of the organization itself. Participants in the survey were able to identify the volunteers as members of the Rajneesh organization, and the court ruled that the results of the survey were unreliable. The trial concluded on May 25, 1985. The jury decided Byron's money should be returned to her, in addition to $1.25 million in punitive damages against Rajneesh Foundation International. The total amount awarded to Byron by the jury was $1.64 million, and the jury concluded that Byron had been deliberately misled by Sheela. The jury, composed of three women and three men, came to the conclusion that Ma Anand Sheela committed a "wanton" violation of Byron's trust, and that Byron had been under Sheela's "domination". The jury came to its decision after deliberating for just over two hours.
Ma Anand Sheela, the spokesman for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh at the time, stated that the jury verdict shows "Rajneeshees can't get a fair trial in Oregon". Sheela characterized the lawsuit as part of the government's plan to "destroy the Rajneeshees" by utilizing "poison" of former followers, and said that the organization would appeal the verdict. Rajneesh spokeswoman Ma Prem Isabel stated: "I think Oregonians basically are trying to bring their bigotry into the court, and until now they are doing pretty good. We'll see how they do on appeal. This is witchhunting if I ever saw it. I know the government is out to get this community."
Rajneeshee attorney Swami Prem Niren (Philip J. Toelkes) argued before the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
in November 1985 that the financial situation of the Rajneesh organization was such that it would take time to sell off assets to raise capital. He attempted to block execution of the jury judgment against the organization. Judge Owen Panner
ruled that the judgment and collateral
for paying it would remain, due to the uncertain financial circumstances of the Rajneesh organization. Byron received $975,000 of the judgment on November 27, 1985. Judge Panner refused to order Byron to return the funds to the Rajneesh organization.
According to Byron's attorney, the Rajneeshees paid for a majority of the judgment by signing over a Southern California
building owned by the organization to her. According to Richardson, this was partly done in order to avoid the appeal process, since the Rajneeshees at the time were busy dealing with a plethora of other legal matters. Richardson notes that "in every disputed point of fact in the case the jury sided with the plaintiff, Mrs. Byron, and they chose as well to punish by awarding punitive damages". The jury also awarded Byron the return of money for which no records existed.
and assembled a hit list of enemies of the organization. In total the former personal secretary to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh along with three others planned to murder nine people. This list included journalist
for the Portland paper The Oregonian
, Leslie Zaitz, United States Attorney
Charles Turner, Oregon Attorney General
David Frohnmayer, Rajneesh's former secretary Laxmi Thakarsi Kuruwa (Ma Yoga Laxmi), and Helen Byron along with her daughter Barbara who had testified on her behalf at trial.
Frohnmayer was originally intended to be the first murder
victim, but Turner was made the primary target because the followers believed there were soon to be federal indictment
s against the organization. Sheela and three other individuals purchased handgun
s in Texas
, obtained false identification in New York, and waited near Turner's house in Portland. In addition to Sheela, other followers involved in the plot reportedly included Ma Shanti Bhadra (Catherine Jane Stork) and Ma Yoga Vidya (Ann Phyllis McCarthy). The assassination plot against Turner was never carried out, and actions against others on the list were never fully executed.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
against Rajneesh Foundation International, the organization of Indian guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh
Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
Osho , born Chandra Mohan Jain , and also known as Acharya Rajneesh from the 1960s onwards, as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh during the 1970s and 1980s and as Osho from 1989, was an Indian mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher who garnered an international following.A professor of philosophy, he travelled...
(now known as Osho). Byron had been recruited to join the Rajneesh movement
Rajneesh movement
The Rajneesh movement is a term used by Hugh B. Urban and other commentators to refer collectively to persons inspired by the Indian mystic Osho , particularly initiated disciples who are referred to as "neo-sannyasins" or simply "sannyasins", also formerly known as Rajneeshees or "Orange People",...
by her daughter, Barbara. She traveled to India to join her daughter and the organization. Byron provided over US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
300,000 to the organization, and some of the money was used to buy an armored Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce (car)
This a list of Rolls-Royce motor cars and includes vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
for Rajneesh. Byron spoke to the legal leader of the organization, Ma Anand Sheela
Ma Anand Sheela
Ma Anand Sheela is a former follower, secretary and spokeswoman for the Indian mystic and spiritual teacher Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, now commonly known as Osho...
(Sheela Silverman), and requested that her money be returned, asserting that it was a loan. Sheela reportedly told her that the money would be returned to her once the group moved to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Byron followed the organization to its location in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, known as Rajneeshpuram
Rajneeshpuram
Rajneeshpuram, Oregon was an intentional community in Wasco County, Oregon, briefly incorporated as a city in the 1980s, which was populated with followers of the spiritual teacher Osho, then known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.- History :...
, and requested through an attorney that her money be returned. In 1985, she filed a lawsuit against the organization in federal court, in the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union...
.
Both Byron and Sheela testified in the case: Byron testified that her money was a loan to the organization to purchase land in India, and Sheela that the money was a donation to the organization. A survey submitted by the Rajneesh organization in the case was deemed unreliable by the judge because the survey had been conducted by volunteers who were also members of the organization. The jury decided in favor of Byron, and awarded her her money plus punitive damages
Punitive damages
Punitive damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit...
. Subsequent to the jury decision, Ma Anand Sheela and an inner circle of followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh at Rajneeshpuram compiled a hit list
Hitman
A hitman is a person hired to kill another person.- Hitmen in organized crime :Hitmen are largely linked to the world of organized crime. Hitmen are hired people who kill people for money. Notable examples include Murder, Inc., Mafia hitmen and Richard Kuklinski.- Other cases involving hitmen...
of people they planned to murder, including both Helen and Barbara Byron, as well as United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
Charles Turner
Charles H. Turner (attorney)
Charles H. Turner is a former United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. Prior to his presidential appointment as U.S. Attorney, Turner worked under his predecessor, Sidney I. Lezak, for 14 years. He was appointed as Lezak's replacement by President Ronald Reagan.As U.S...
and Oregon Attorney General
Oregon Attorney General
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan election to serve a term...
David Frohnmayer. Sheela and other followers obtained handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
s in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and false identification in New York, but the plot was never carried out.
Byron requests return of money from Rajneesh
Helen C. Byron, originally from Santa Fe, New MexicoSanta Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, was recruited into the Rajneesh movement
Rajneesh movement
The Rajneesh movement is a term used by Hugh B. Urban and other commentators to refer collectively to persons inspired by the Indian mystic Osho , particularly initiated disciples who are referred to as "neo-sannyasins" or simply "sannyasins", also formerly known as Rajneeshees or "Orange People",...
by her daughter Barbara J. Byron, who had previously joined the group in India. She traveled to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and joined her daughter as a follower of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in 1978. While within the Osho movement Helen Byron was known as Ma Idam Shunyo, and her daughter was referred to as Makima.
Byron gave considerable sums of money to Rajneesh, and lent or contributed more than US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
300,000 to his group which was used to purchase an armored Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce (car)
This a list of Rolls-Royce motor cars and includes vehicles produced by:*Rolls-Royce Limited *Rolls-Royce Motors , which was owned by Vickers between 1980 and 1998, and after that by Volkswagen...
for him. Byron requested the money be returned to her and said it was a loan, and stated that the legal leader and president of the Rajneesh organization, Ma Anand Sheela
Ma Anand Sheela
Ma Anand Sheela is a former follower, secretary and spokeswoman for the Indian mystic and spiritual teacher Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, now commonly known as Osho...
, had only asked for the money on a temporary basis. Byron stated Sheela was aware that Byron needed the money returned for treatment and special needs related to her multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
.
James T. Richardson writes in the 2004 book Regulating Religion that "Ma Sheela is alleged to have stalled Mrs. Byron, using the reasoning that the group was soon to relocate in Oregon, and that the money would be returned after that." Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh moved to Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Byron moved as well, and communicated through a lawyer to Rajneesh that she still requested the return of her money. According to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Byron left the organization in 1984 after Ma Anand Sheela requested followers commit themselves to a lifestyle that Byron did not agree with.
Portland federal trial
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...
in 1985 in federal court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Byron's claim included $309,990 she stated she had given as a loan to the Rajneesh Foundation, in addition to $80,000 she had deposited in a Rajneeshee bank, and $1.5 million in punitive damages
Punitive damages
Punitive damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit...
. Byron testified at trial that the $309,990 was given in 1980 as a loan to Rajneesh Foundation International for the organization to buy land in Poona, India, and that the $80,000 was to be held in safekeeping, while Ma Anand Sheela testified that Byron's money was a donation and not a loan. Rajneesh Foundation International submitted an opinion survey in the case, but the survey was conducted by volunteer members of the organization itself. Participants in the survey were able to identify the volunteers as members of the Rajneesh organization, and the court ruled that the results of the survey were unreliable. The trial concluded on May 25, 1985. The jury decided Byron's money should be returned to her, in addition to $1.25 million in punitive damages against Rajneesh Foundation International. The total amount awarded to Byron by the jury was $1.64 million, and the jury concluded that Byron had been deliberately misled by Sheela. The jury, composed of three women and three men, came to the conclusion that Ma Anand Sheela committed a "wanton" violation of Byron's trust, and that Byron had been under Sheela's "domination". The jury came to its decision after deliberating for just over two hours.
Ma Anand Sheela, the spokesman for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh at the time, stated that the jury verdict shows "Rajneeshees can't get a fair trial in Oregon". Sheela characterized the lawsuit as part of the government's plan to "destroy the Rajneeshees" by utilizing "poison" of former followers, and said that the organization would appeal the verdict. Rajneesh spokeswoman Ma Prem Isabel stated: "I think Oregonians basically are trying to bring their bigotry into the court, and until now they are doing pretty good. We'll see how they do on appeal. This is witchhunting if I ever saw it. I know the government is out to get this community."
Rajneeshee attorney Swami Prem Niren (Philip J. Toelkes) argued before the United States District Court for the District of Oregon
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the state of Oregon. It was created in 1859 when the state was admitted to the Union...
in November 1985 that the financial situation of the Rajneesh organization was such that it would take time to sell off assets to raise capital. He attempted to block execution of the jury judgment against the organization. Judge Owen Panner
Owen M. Panner
Owen Murphy Panner is an American attorney and jurist from Oregon. A native of Illinois, he has served on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon since 1980, and was chief judge of the court from 1984 to 1990. He is currently a senior judge on the court.-Early life:Owen Panner...
ruled that the judgment and collateral
Collateral (finance)
In lending agreements, collateral is a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan.The collateral serves as protection for a lender against a borrower's default - that is, any borrower failing to pay the principal and interest under the terms of a loan obligation...
for paying it would remain, due to the uncertain financial circumstances of the Rajneesh organization. Byron received $975,000 of the judgment on November 27, 1985. Judge Panner refused to order Byron to return the funds to the Rajneesh organization.
According to Byron's attorney, the Rajneeshees paid for a majority of the judgment by signing over a Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
building owned by the organization to her. According to Richardson, this was partly done in order to avoid the appeal process, since the Rajneeshees at the time were busy dealing with a plethora of other legal matters. Richardson notes that "in every disputed point of fact in the case the jury sided with the plaintiff, Mrs. Byron, and they chose as well to punish by awarding punitive damages". The jury also awarded Byron the return of money for which no records existed.
Assassination plot
After the jury decision, Ma Anand Sheela gathered an inner circle of at least three or four women followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh at RajneeshpuramRajneeshpuram
Rajneeshpuram, Oregon was an intentional community in Wasco County, Oregon, briefly incorporated as a city in the 1980s, which was populated with followers of the spiritual teacher Osho, then known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.- History :...
and assembled a hit list of enemies of the organization. In total the former personal secretary to Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh along with three others planned to murder nine people. This list included journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
for the Portland paper The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
, Leslie Zaitz, United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
Charles Turner, Oregon Attorney General
Oregon Attorney General
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the state of Oregon, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan election to serve a term...
David Frohnmayer, Rajneesh's former secretary Laxmi Thakarsi Kuruwa (Ma Yoga Laxmi), and Helen Byron along with her daughter Barbara who had testified on her behalf at trial.
Frohnmayer was originally intended to be the first murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
victim, but Turner was made the primary target because the followers believed there were soon to be federal indictment
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
s against the organization. Sheela and three other individuals purchased handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
s in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, obtained false identification in New York, and waited near Turner's house in Portland. In addition to Sheela, other followers involved in the plot reportedly included Ma Shanti Bhadra (Catherine Jane Stork) and Ma Yoga Vidya (Ann Phyllis McCarthy). The assassination plot against Turner was never carried out, and actions against others on the list were never fully executed.
Further reading
- Byron v. Rajneesh Foundation Intern., 634 F.Supp. 489 (D.Or. Oct 24, 1985) (NO. CIV. 84-857-PA)