suit dismissed

[Guest guest]

$400 Million Suit

against Hare Krishna

Dismissed

from ISKCON Communications

 

Dallas, Texas—The Honorable Sam A. Lindsay,

Judge of the United States District Court in

Dallas, in

a decision filed September 28, has permanently

dismissed a lawsuit seeking $400 million dollars in

damages from several dozen temples, entities and

individuals affiliated with the International

Society for

Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), better known as

the Hare Krishna movement, a monotheistic

Vaishnava denomination within the Hindu tradition.

 

The suit was originally filed on June 12, 2000. It

alleged that various forms of child abuse

occurred in

the 1970’s and 1980’s at several parochial schools

and temples affiliated with ISKCON. The case

attempted to use the Racketeer Influenced and

Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to corral

allegations of abuse at several schools into one

Federal case.

 

"This was clearly a victory for religious

freedom," said

David Liberman, one of the attorneys for ISKCON

defendants. "The plaintiff’s attorney

disingenuously

sought to apply the RICO act in a attempt to go

after

the assets of innocent people and temple

congregations. This effort would have opened the

door for churches and religious institutions

across the

country to be attacked in a way never intended

by the

Congressional authors of the RICO law."

 

Significantly, many respected faiths and religious

organizations including the National Council of

Churches, the United States Catholic Conference,

the

Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, and the

American Jewish Congress filed an Amicus Curiae

brief, or Friends of the Court document, in

support of

the Krishna position on the RICO claim.

 

Krishna leaders assert that the suit sought to

close

temples and seize their assets, instead of

pursuing and

punishing those deviant individuals who may have

been abusive of children.

 

"We are greatly pleased and relieved by Judge

Lindsay’s decision on this case," said Anuttama

Dasa,

ISKCON Director of Communications. "The decision

will protect innocent families whose temples were

threatened with closure by this overreaching

suit. At

the same time, we remain committed to assure the

safety of our children and will continue to

reach out

proactively to help any young person who may have

suffered in the past," Dasa said.

 

ISKCON policies mandate immediate reporting of

any allegations of abuse to government

authorities. An

independent organization, Children of Krishna, was

formed in 1996 to provide grants for education and

counseling for Krishna youth. In 1998, a

professionally staffed Child Protection Office

(CPO)

was established to investigate all allegations

of abuse,

to provide assistance for youth, and to assure that

Krishna communities comply with requirements for

child safety and abuse prevention.