Leaders of ‘Orgasmic Meditation’ Group Are Convicted of Coercion Charges

New York|Leaders of ‘Orgasmic Meditation’ Group Are Convicted of Coercion Charges

Two women whose company promoted “orgasmic meditation” as a tool of female empowerment were found guilty on Monday of running a forced labor scheme in which they coerced vulnerable employees to perform degrading sex acts for little or no pay.

The convictions of the women, Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz, followed a five-week trial in which jurors heard testimony about sex acts rarely described in a courtroom.

As the verdict was read, Ms. Daedone, wearing a blue jacket and pants, smiled and nodded, before embracing her lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean. Ms. Cherwitz, dressed in a black blazer, did not visibly react.

Ms. Daedone started OneTaste in San Francisco in 2004. Her goal, she has said, was to address what she called the gap in sexual satisfaction between men and women. A former prostitute who has described growing up in an abusive household, Ms. Daedone says her teachings were inspired by traditional Buddhist practices.

OneTaste gained attention for its central practice, orgasmic meditation, or “OMing.” The act typically involved a gloved man systematically stroking the genitals of a woman as she lay in a butterfly position on an array of pillows for 15 minutes. Variants included “male OMing,” in which a woman stroked a man’s genitals for 15 minutes.

The company quickly became popular, with positive media coverage helping to fuel a membership surge. At its height, OneTaste had locations in Austin, Texas; Chicago; Denver; New York and other cities. In New York, there were OneTaste events in neighborhoods like Hell’s Kitchen and the West Village.