Hare Krishnas to file bankruptcy over abuse suit

AUSTIN, Texas — In a bid to thwart a lawsuit that “threatens to shut down an entire religion,” the Hare Krishna movement said Feb. 6 it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection later this month.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) announcement comes in response to the recent filing of a $400 million child abuse lawsuit in a Texas state court. Plaintiffs aim to hold a range of Krishna institutions liable for sexual, emotional and physical abuse allegedly suffered in Krishna boarding schools during the 1970s and 1980s.

In a plan that must be approved by bankruptcy court, ISKCON proposes to establish a fund for compensating abuse victims. Those who can prove that they were abused would be compensated in out-of-court settlements.

Without Chapter 11 protection, the movement stands to lose all its assets from its 50 North American temples to office equipment, according to spokesperson Anuttama Dasa. To run such a risk by fighting a costly legal battle would be unfair, he said, to the majority of the North American movement’s 75,000 members.