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New York|In ‘Orgasmic Meditation’ Case, Did a Zealous Media Strategy Backfire?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/nyregion/onetaste-orgasmic-meditation-publicity.html
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After two leaders of OneTaste were convicted, a judge referred to the aggressive publicity campaign on their behalf as she jailed them until their sentencing.
July 6, 2025Updated 2:15 p.m. ET
When they were convicted of forced labor conspiracy, two leaders of OneTaste, a lifestyle company devoted to the female orgasm, used a fierce public relations campaign to claim they were victims of the justice system. Then, that fervent advocacy helped land the women, Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz, in jail.
After weeks of sordid testimony, the judge, Diane Gujarati, specifically cited the publicity effort before refusing to grant the defendants bail before their September sentencing, an uncommonly strict requirement for first-time, nonviolent criminals — and one that the government had not sought.
Juda Engelmayer, the women’s lead publicist, had written online posts that the judge found troubling, including one that featured a swastika superimposed over the Justice Department’s logo.
“You think a swastika is helpful to the defendants?” Judge Gujarati asked Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer for Ms. Daedone, at a hearing on June 10 in federal court in Brooklyn.
Zealous media strategies surrounding celebrity trials have become common, with a blueprint created by President Trump’s aggressive attacks on prosecutors, judges and plaintiffs. For the defendants in the “orgasmic meditation” case, the strategy may have backfired, even though it won some conservative commentators to their side.
“It’s treacherous, the relationship between the media and the clients and court,” said Arthur Aidala, a lawyer who has represented high-profile clients including Harvey Weinstein. “You really need to proceed with caution.”
