The following is a guest post by the Chicago wrongful death attorneys at Dolan Law Offices:
Self-help author James Arthur Ray, made famous by the movie and book, The Secret, devised his Spiritual Warrior retreat in Sedona, Arizona, as a way to push people outside their comfort zones, past their physical and emotional limits.
The 60 followers who each plunked down $9000 in 2009 for the retreat were pushed past their limits to the point of tragedy. Three of the participants died from heat stroke, and many more were hospitalized. Autopsies have ruled the deaths to be accidental, but Ray has been charged with three counts of manslaughter. The trial, expected to last three or four months, begins in late August.
Sweat lodges are a Native American tradition used to cleanse both physically and spiritually. The domelike structures are made of willow branches and covered by canvas. Water is poured over heated rocks inside the dome to create steam.
Ray didn’t follow Native American protocol in a number of ways, however. His structure was covered in plastic, rather than with materials that breathe. Normally 8-12 people are in a sweat lodge, but Ray piled more than 60 in his. Native Americans also don’t stay in the sweat lodge to the point of unconsciousness. Ray not only knew some of his participants had fainted or were near unconsciousness, but encouraged them to stay in the sweat lodge despite their discomfort and chided those who wanted to leave. Prior to entering the sweat lodge, the participants had participated in a 36-hour fast and were sleep deprived.
In addition to the criminal trial, Ray had to face wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Liz Neuman, one of the participants who died as a result of the sweat lodge exercise. They claimed that Ray failed to do the following: to provide guidelines prior to the exercise, to monitor the well-being of every participant before and during the event, and to provide adequate supevision during the activity.
Dolan Law Offices is a Chicago law firm that is committed to providing excellent legal service to its clients. The attorneys for wrongful death in this law firm are experienced negotiators and litigators who represent victims of wrongful death actions in Chicago and throughout the entire state of Illinois.
Dolan Law Offices
10 South Lasalle Street #3712
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 676-7600
