T.M. accused of causing ‘emotional harm’

Press, 23 February 1987, Page 29

T.M. accused of causing ‘emotional harm’

NZPA-AP Washington A former Transcendental Meditation instructor who charged that the movement falsely promised he could learn to fly has been awarded nearly SUSI3B,OOO ($256,700) by a Federal Court jury. But jurors refused to award punitive damages to Robert Kropinski, who alleged in his SUS 9 million ($16.74 million) lawsuit that he suffered psychological and emotional harm from his 11year association with T.M. The jury found that the World Plan Executive Council-United States, which runs T.M. programmes, and the Mahar-

ishi International University in Fairfield, lowa, were liable for fraud and negligence. Mr Kropinski accused the movement of making false scientific claims that T.M. would reduce stress, improve his memory, reverse the aging process, promote good health and world peace. Jurors heard testimony about Mr Kropinski’s unsuccessful attempts to learn how to fly by using techniques of so-called self-levitation.

Despite claims that T.M. students could selflevitate and manipulate the physical world through enhanced consciousness the lawsuit said

students learned only to “hop with the legs folded in the lotus position.”

The movement’s founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, was originally named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

But the guru was dismissed from the case because lawyers were unable to find him in Switzerland or India to serve him with court papers. T.M., the twice-daily practice of repeating a one-word chant called a mantra, became popular in the 1960 s when a number of celebrities, including the Beatles, travelled to India to study with the guru.