Dahn Yoga Voice

Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc. announces the recent end of a highly publicised lawsuit by 27 former employees and members. The federal lawsuit that began in on May 22, 2009 officially ended onApril 1, 2013. All claims in the lawsuit have either been dismissed by the Court or dropped by the plaintiffs.

The lawsuit against Dahn Yoga and its affiliates was filed in the US District Court of Arizona (Barba et al. v. Dahn Yoga et al, Case No. CV09-1115-PHX-SRB) and attracted media attention with claims that included fraud, undue influence, unfair and deceptive business practice, emotional distress, wage and hour law violation and civil RICO violations.  On November 3, 2009, Judge Susan Bolton dismissed a majority of the claims, affecting  nearly all of the 27 plaintiffs. In light of the Judge’s Order, the plaintiffs and their attorney filed an Amended complaint, but it did not strengthen their case.  Subsequently, on October 26, 2011, plaintiffs’ attorney, Ryan Kent , withdrew from the case. In his motion to withdraw, Kent acknowledged that he had  expected the case to be settled without protracted litigation.  As a result, many plaintiffs were dismissed by the Court or dropped their claims. Some even admitted in writing that allegations made in the lawsuit were not what they had intended or directly contradict their experience with Dahn Yoga.

The court rulings and the plaintiff withdrawals bring a difficult chapter to an end.  A statement by the current Dahn Yoga CEO expresses the company’s appreciation for the consistent support of its members, instructors, employees and friends. She states that in light of this experience “… we have made many important changes and despite the challenges we faced, we have emerged from this experience as better communicators, better managers, better business people and better citizens.”

Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc. (www.dahnyoga.com) provides personalized service and exceptional facilities that teach a stylized practice of yoga based on Korean traditions. The word “dahn”, meaning “energy”, emphasizes the mind body connection as the key to health and well-being. Ilchi Lee founded the practice in South Korea before the first U.S. Dahn Yoga center was opened in the early 1990s. Acclaimed for health and wellness innovations and the integration of ancient and modern, Dahn Yoga has an extensive network of highly-respected facilities and instructors in seventeen states, and numerous affiliates around the world.

On July 1, 2011, Ha’aretz, a leading daily newspaper in Israel, published an article in its weekly North America edition about the death of Matan Givol, a former Dahn Yoga member and perspective franchise owner. Prior to his involvement with Dahn Yoga, he had been a prominent violinist and he had recently resumed his musical career in Israel. On May 22, 2011, before he was to perform at a concert in his home city of Tel Aviv, Matan took his own life.

The article in Ha’aretz provides some detail about the circumstances of Matan’s death and speculates as to the reasons he may have taken his own life, including the death of his father, pressures associated with his musical career and his mother’s belief that Matan was under extreme pressure from Dahn Yoga to open franchises in Israel.

We at Dahn Yoga & Health Centers, Inc. were very saddened to learn about the death of Matan Givol, a good man, with a deep and abiding commitment to peace. Though we sympathize with Mrs. Givol’s loss, we strongly disagree with any assertion that Matan was under pressure from Dahn Yoga, its employees or affiliates at the time of his death.

For almost one and a half years, Matan was on his own in Israel, planning to open independent franchises there. Those plans were based on his own personal interests and he was under no pressure from anyone in our company. During the time that Matan was in Israel, we had very limited contact with him, but we are aware that he had other pressures and personal concerns. We cannot comprehend why he chose to take his own life, but our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Joseph Alexander
Vice President of Communications