Legal Issues
Some Dahn Yoga reports in the media describes accusations that the organization operates a manipulative "cult" that uses coercive persuasion and thought reform methods to create deeply devoted Dahn masters (teachers) who come to believe the path to personal health, enlightenment and world peace includes pressuring and persuading others to devote all their time, energy, and money to Dahn programs, events, and ceremonies, and to become loyal Dahn masters themselves.
Among other media reports, a 2006 CBS news report and the Village Voice described a wrongful death lawsuit filed against Dahn Yoga's founder and related entitites. According to the lawsuit, Julia Siverls, 41, died in 2003 from heat stroke and dehydration during a master training hike at the Ilchi Meditation Center in Sedona. According to a document filed by the Southern District of New York of the United States District Court, the case was dismissed on August 1, 2008.
In 2002, a former Dahn employee filed a civil lawsuit in Alameda County, California, for Unfair Business Practices and Undue Influence against Seung Heun Lee, et al. The case was reportedly settled out of court with no admission of guilt. WBZ Channel 4 News in Boston interviewed two of the claimants on June 11, 2009.
On January 5, 2010, CNN broadcasted a critical report about the organization with interviews of former Dahn Yoga members alleging severe physical, mental and financial abuse by Dahn Yoga personnel and staff, including one former member stating she was coerced into donating funds to the organization by taking out student loans totalling over $40,000 USD. Allegations were dismissed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona August 25, 2010.
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