Deepak Chopra's litigation gets fourth judge

News Summary/February 20, 2007
By Rick Ross

In January of 2000 litigation between a New Age guru and medical doctor Deepak Chopra and his former employee Joyce Weaver picked up its fourth judge in the midst of seemingly endless legal wrangling.

Richard Huffman, a justice with the 4th District Court of Appeal, was assigned to the litigation after Superior Court Judge John Einhorn became the third judge to be removed.

Chopra attorney Philip Stillman claimed that the FBI was investigating the way his client had been treated by San Diego judges.

However, other sources told the San Diego Union-Tribune that no such FBI investigation existed.

"I am not a conspiracy theorist," insisted Stillman.

Chopra filed a lawsuit against Weaver, after she filed a lawsuit against him.

Weaver's lawsuit claimed that she experienced sexual harassment at the workplace.

Chopra's lawsuit claimed that Weaver had attempted to blackmail him over allegations that he had had sex with a prostitute.

Chopra lives in La Jolla, California.

Weaver worked for the Sharp Center for Mind-Body Medicine, an institute owned by Sharp HealthCare another Chopra enterprise. She was a seminar planner.

Both Weaver's and Chopra's lawsuits were to be heard by one judge and jury.

But after the jury that heard Chopra's claim went against him, the doctor and his attorneys wanted a new one.

Judge Einhorn dismissed the jury.

The Chopra litigation has been assigned to Einhorn, Superior Court Judge Judith McConnell and Superior Court Judge Thomas Murphy.

Judge Huffman was then assigned to preside over the Weaver lawsuit filed against Chopra.

Weaver's attorney, Peter Friesen, said "Chopra got a big part of what he wanted. He had a jury who didn't believe him. He doesn't have to face them anymore."

Note: This news summary is based upon an article titled "Deepak Chopra case gets its fourth judge" by Anne Krueger published by the San Diego Union-Tribune January 19, 2000