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International Cultic Studies Association
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Vol. 1, No. 1, 2001 |
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| Featured Group Report |
Hare Krishna: news articles 1989 |
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1989January/February
George’s Coercion
Charges in Krishna Case Rejected in Appeal Panel Review
(p. 6)
The California 4th District Court of Appeal in San Diego
tentatively rejected in December the claim by Marcia George that her
daughter Robin was imprisoned and then psychologically coerced into
accepting Krishna beliefs after joining the group in 1977. The ruling was announced to help guide attorney arguments in the sect's appeal of a 1983 verdict which awarded the Georges $32 million in damages, later reduced to $9.7 million. Witnesses had testified in the original trial that Robin was held captive
and brainwashed by ceremonial devices like chanting and fear based on a
religious belief that leaving the Krishnas would be an unacceptable
alternative. They also said that deficient diet deprived the then 15-year
old girl of the ability to decide to leave. The appeal panel said, however, that Robin "cooperated almost
enthusiastically," with the Hare Krishnas and consented to leave home
and follow their movement. The preliminary decision also distinguished between the religious belief
of the sect and the conduct of the group's members in hiding Robin from
her parents. Thus, while the First Amendment rights of the Hare Krishnas
to free religious expression might be recognized by rejecting the brain
washing charges, the award to Marcia George herself might well be
increased because, as she claimed in the original trial, her husband
suffered a fatal stroke, - because of the couple's search for Robin.
Indeed, one judge questioned how
the conduct of Krishna members who
refused to let the Georges see their
daughter could be immunized by First Amendment protection. An attorney for the Krishnas
suggested that the court was trying to craft an opinion that would not
jeopardize religious groups. From " $9.7 Million Hare Krishna Award
Reviewed," Los Angeles Daily Journal, December 12,1988 Hare Krishna Australian Decline (p. 15) The Hare Krishna farm on the far northern coast of New South Wales with guru's throne, lavish furniture, and sauna is $180,000 in debt and short of live-in followers - from over 350 to 40 or 50 in the last decade. Many Australians have left the movement after the "defrocking" of the Australian leader following his admission that he was a homosexual and the revelations of criminal activities of some Hare Krishna leaders in the U. S. Promotional promises of "a multimillion dollar religious village-cum
tourist trap," have gone unfulfilled.
From The empty throne," The
Bulletin [Sydney], August 9, 198 8, 91-94 Krishna Member Faces
Murder Charges (P. 6) Thomas Drescher, serving a life sentence in West Virginia for the murder
of a fellow Hare Krishna, was extradited to California in December to face
charges connected with the 1986 murder-for-hire of a former member,
Stephen L. Bryant, who had become a vociferous critic of the sect. The
investigation into who may have hired Drescher continues. Los
Angeles Times, 1213188, Part 11, 1. Krishna Member
Surrenders (p. 11) Hare Krishna member Gary Gardner, former principal of the now closed Boys
School at the group's New Vrindaban commune in West Virginia, surrendered
to county authorities nearly two years after being indicted for the
alleged sexual assault of one of the school's pupils. Gardner said he had
been in India and not known about the indictment until his recent return
to this country. Intelligencer (Wheeling, WV) 11/11/88 New Hare Krishna Mansion
(p. 11)
The Old South
Society for Vedic Literature, a hare Krishna group with about 20 members,
recently acquired Gloucester House in Natchez, an historic Mississippi
river city, and hopes to make it a popular spot for visitors.
The society distributed brochures to welcome centers all over the
state to let people know that the house is open for tours.
Star Tribune March/April
Hare Krishna
(p. 14) Hare Krishna members in late November were planning to fast as part of
their battle with the Hertsmere Borough Council over whether or not the
group can use their estate at Bhaktivedanta Manor, a gift from Beatle
George Harrison some years ago, as a festival site and place of worship
attracting up to 1000 people a day and 30,000 on special occasions. May/June
Krishna and Glasnost (p. 15)
September/October
Brainwashing Claim
Dismissed in Robin George Appeal (pp. 6,7) The 4th District Court of Appeal in San Diego in August dismissed the
claim of Robin George that the Hare Krishnas brainwashed her when she was
with them as a 15-year-old runaway. Ms. George's claims of emotional
distress and libel were also dismissed and she was left with only a
$75,000 award tied to the wrongful death of her father, who had a fatal
heart attack due to the stress of trying to find his daughter when she was
among the Krishnas. The court let stand, however, a $2.9 million judgment in favor of Robin's
mother, Marcia George, for emotional stress and libel during the period
that the group allegedly conspired to hide Robin from her parents. In
1983, an Orange County, CA jury returned a $32.5 million verdict in favor
of the Georges against the sect later cut to $9.7 million by the trial
judge. The Krishnas contended in their appeal that the earlier verdict interfered
with their constitutional right to freedom of religion. Krishna spokesman
Mukunda Goswarni said, "The court was really very wise on that
brainwashing fiasco," adding that the jury award would have forced
the Krishnas to sell six of their temples around the country.
Justice Howard Weiner, who wrote the opinion, called the
brainwashing claim the "centerpiece" of the appeal. The Georges
contended that Robin was brainwashed and could not have left the Krishna
temples even if she had wanted to. Weiner said that according to a recent
state Supreme Court ruling on a case involving the Unification Church, Ms.
George had to show that the Krishnas physically restrained her, which they
did not, he added. Lynn Seldon, an attorney for Ms. George - now 29 and a married interior
decorator - said she "got clobbered," adding, "If anybody
was wronged by this Krishna behavior, it was Robin. I think her mother
agrees. Robin was injured the worst. Robin George herself called the
ruling "sad." The court apparently didn't understand the
"element of mind control and how that interferes with your
thinking," she said. "The court is looking at this case and
saying, 'This girl did these things and had a choice - there must be
something wrong with her' . . . [It's] not like joining the Baptist
church. Its a totally different ballgame." Attorneys on both sides said further appeals are almost certain because
neither side was a complete winner. [From "Krishnas Did Not Brainwash
Cypress Girl, Court Rules," by Alan Abrahamson, Los Angeles Times, 8/31/89, Part 11, 3. The Hare Krishnas in
India (p. 14) A new book by Charles R. Brooks that traces the "reverse"
missionary work of followers of the American sect in the town of Vrindaban.
Princeton University Press, $14.95 (paper), $39.95 (cloth).
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