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New York Times
6 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
‘Orgasmic Meditation' Case Raises Question of What Constitutes Coercion
The women arrived with dreams of rebirth, community and climax. Instead, they said, their twenties were ruined by working at OneTaste, a buzzy San Francisco company that billed itself as a health and education start-up promoting female empowerment via 'orgasmic meditation.' They came to see OneTaste as a cult, but the prosecution of two of its leaders will decide whether they were coerced into working for the company or simply deluded by its teachings. The question is central to the federal case against Nicole Daedone, OneTaste's founder and former chief executive, and Rachel Cherwitz, its former head of sales, who have each been charged with one count of forced labor conspiracy. The charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors say Ms. Daedone and Ms. Cherwitz deployed 'psychological tactics' to groom OneTaste employees for masturbation rituals and to isolate them, leaving them reliant on the company and unable to access or even imagine a world outside. Such forced labor schemes usually employ a tangible threat, such as physical violence or the confiscation of travel documents. OneTaste employees have not described such blunt tactics. Rather, they say, they feared that defying Ms. Daedone and Ms. Cherwitz would ruin them not financially or physically, but spiritually. Lawyers for Ms. Daedone and Ms. Cherwitz have seized on that, noting that the witnesses were adults who had free will, and that some came from affluent backgrounds. They have pointed out that the witnesses did leave OneTaste, only to return when they yearned for spiritual community. 'Each time you left, you made a choice to come back,' Michael P. Robotti, a lawyer for Ms. Cherwitz, told one witness. To win convictions, prosecutors must convince jurors that Ms. Daedone and Ms. Cherwitz forced OneTaste employees to work against their will, using physical, emotional or psychological coercion, and that each woman benefited. They must show that OneTaste employees had to keep working, including by engaging in orgasmic meditation, in order to avoid 'serious harm.' Through the first half of what is expected to be a six-week trial, more than a half-dozen former OneTaste employees have testified to sexual acts rarely mentioned in a courtroom. They said they had no other options at the time, but have stopped short of saying they were threatened with violence, the loss of property or anything beyond losing their standing within OneTaste. Juda Engelmayer, a spokesman for the defendants, said the former OneTaste employees had chosen to explore an 'unconventional lifestyle,' and had then 'decided they were victims because it no longer aligns with how they see themselves.' 'This case is a dangerous attempt to criminalize regret,' Mr. Engelmayer said in a statement. Determining consent can be difficult when it comes to cults, which by nature wipe away a person's capacity to question order, said Rick Alan Ross, the founder of the Cult Education Institute. Mr. Ross, a deprogrammer who has testified as an expert in many such cases, said OneTaste appeared to bear the hallmarks of a coercive cult. Cults, Mr. Ross said, 'shut down your ability to critically think and reason,' leading people to do things they would never have considered before they joined the group. 'People have these unreasonable fears, that 'if I leave the group I'm a traitor. If I leave the group, I'm a counterrevolutionary,'' he said in an interview. NXIVM, the Albany-area sex cult led by Keith Raniere, also billed itself as a self-help organization and offered classes in its idiosyncratic rituals. But it blackmailed members with threats to release nude photographs and embarrassing secrets. So far, there has been no evidence of such acts against OneTaste employees. Witnesses said they did what Ms. Daedone and Ms. Cherwitz asked because their entire senses of self revolved around OneTaste. Moira Penza, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn who helped win a 120-year sentence against Mr. Raniere, said that unlike his victims, OneTaste participants knew that sex acts were the organization's calling card. That could prove to be an obstacle for the prosecution, she said, in its effort to persuade the jury that orgasmic meditation was forced labor. 'You want to hit the jury over the head with how terrible this is,' Ms. Penza said. The work, according to former OneTaste employees, consisted of participating in orgasmic meditation with anyone they could find, at any time. The job, which was understood to be a 24/7 endeavor, entailed a grueling daily schedule of 'OM' sessions, cooking and cleaning in the communal house and seeing to Ms. Daedone's and Ms. Cherwitz's personal needs. There were also tasks well outside orgasmic meditation. Some OneTaste employees testified that they were told to have sex with a top investor who was also Ms. Daedone's romantic partner, as well as to whip him and walk him around on a leash. People outside the community were called 'muggles,' mortals unworthy of the path of spiritual enlightenment on which OneTaste adherents had embarked. Erin Hatton, a professor of sociology at the University at Buffalo, said OneTaste employees had experienced 'status coercion.' Unlike more overt and physically violent coercion, status coercion emerges when a person cannot leave a job, or 'their only community,' because of how much their self-worth depends on it. That could be a tough sell for prosecutors in a criminal trial. 'It can be a tricky argument to make, because the powers of coercion can be subtle and even invisible to outsiders,' Professor Hatton said. 'Nobody is standing over you with a whip.' And the defendants have presented a placid, upbeat image in court. Ms. Daedone, who has said that she will testify in her own defense, typically wears a flowing tan shawl each day, gazing at the jury when a defense lawyer addresses a witness. Ms. Daedone founded OneTaste in 2004, offering its courses at prices than could run into five figures. The central ritual typically involved a man stroking the genitals of a woman, with her sitting in a butterfly position on pillows, for 15 minutes. OneTaste opened centers across the country, with locations in Austin, Texas, and New York. But as the word spread, so did allegations that OneTaste was a pseudoscience-peddling cult. Employees were paid little, if at all; in fact, they paid to take OneTaste coaching courses that could cost more than $10,000. Members of OneTaste's sales team were told they could not sleep until they met certain targets, and were routinely subjected to public humiliation and ostracism. Being a saleswoman for orgasm was a surprisingly hard job, one former employee testified. The government's witnesses have described an insular culture that did not tolerate dissent, with a work environment that was unforgiving. Ms. Daedone and Ms. Cherwitz even controlled their employees' romantic relationships, witnesses said. Participation came with an expected adherence to Ms. Daedone's views on sexuality and relationships, which looked down on monogamy. OneTaste workers were frequently directed to abandon monogamy because it threatened their path to enlightenment. At least once, OneTaste's leaders personally destroyed a romantic relationship by demanding that one person sleep with another person outside the relationship. When the former employees were asked in court why they participated in sexual activities that were uncomfortable, one of them, who is now a medical resident, said that comfort had felt less important than the path to enlightenment. Far from resisting the appearance of a cult, the company embraced the label, with its leaders even referring to it that way publicly, Christopher Hubbard, a former website manager for OneTaste, testified. Mr. Hubbard, who said he had joined the company to advocate female sexual empowerment, said he was initially hooked by what appeared to be a 'Buddhist, female empowerment organization.' Over time, he grew disillusioned with what he saw as OneTaste 'trying to force people to do stuff.' It wasn't the nonconformist group he signed up for. 'I thought we were going to make a difference in this country,' Mr. Hubbard said. 'And I wanted to be a part of that.'
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
I don't want to live in a world that criminalises unconventional sex
I don't have a pension pot for my dotage, but long thought that if I fell on hard times I could start a sex cult. After all, I used to edit the Erotic Review magazine and am the proud owner of an antler-horn headdress. At least, that was the plan until the New York trial of OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone and her head of sales, Rachel Cherwitz, started this month. The glossy duo, who ran an alternative lifestyle company focused on women's erotic pleasure, are charged with conspiracy to commit forced labour after a number of adherents said that they were coerced into having sex with colleagues and potential investors. Details of the allegations were laid out in investigations by Bloomberg, then a BBC podcast and, most infamously, in Netflix's Orgasm Inc, which incorporated passages from diaries written by a former sales rep for the company, Ayries Blanck. For anyone who doesn't scour streaming services for lurid sex documentaries, a little explication may be required. I feel fairly qualified on the topic, as I flew to San Francisco in 2011 to interview Daedone about OneTaste and her book Slow Sex: the Art and Craft of the Female Orgasm. The author and CEO had garnered ideas from Tantra, Buddhism and yoga and crafted them into what she dubbed 'Orgasmic Meditation', or OMing for short. The practice was conceived as an antidote to the 'harder, faster!' school of male-centric sex and was focused on female anatomy and pleasure. So far, so laudable; but the practice was also highly unorthodox – or plain whackjob, depending on your outlook. In essence, it involved women removing their lower clothing and reclining on a nest of cushions, before their OMing partner (generally a man) stroked their intimate anatomy for 15 minutes in a prescribed manner. This tended to occur in a room filled with other nesting couples with the avowed intention to build enhanced capacity for pleasure. Daedone and one of her wing women explained all this to me in a coffee bar, while radiating the beatific glow of sexy cats who'd drunk all the cream. I felt a bit like I'd fallen down a time wormhole and ended up at Woodstock circa 1969. I found Daedone intelligent, persuasive and charismatic: characteristics that would lead to her downfall, as she stepped ever further into Sex-guru Land. She espoused her wish for OM classes to be taught 'like yoga' in gyms across the US and the UK, to which I replied that while the idea might fly in hippy-dippy California, I couldn't see Milton Keynes's WI discarding their knickers in a David Lloyd club. However, not long afterwards OneTaste opened a branch in London and a handful of erotically short-changed women I knew (mostly divorcees) signed up for classes. One was so enthused she flew out to California for more in-depth courses. They were far from being the only enthusiasts; in 2018 Daedone appeared on Gwynneth Paltrow's Goop podcast, making the zenith of OneTaste's social acceptability. Shortly after that, Bloomberg ran an exposé on the movement's business practices: some members had fallen into heavy debt after paying for courses and others had felt pressurised into sexual liaisons. It also transpired that OneTaste had paid Ayries Blanck (author of the Netflix diaries) $325,000 to settle a labour dispute. Then the FBI started their own investigation and it was widely reported that Daedone and Cherwitz were going to be charged with sex trafficking. I felt rather like I do when told a married couple who enthusiastically embraced swinging had suddenly filed for divorce: who would have thought it, apart from absolutely everyone? But I still found it hard to view the upfront, engaging Daedone as an evil sex slaver. Rarely has a person been more candid about their methodology and objectives; she was even transparent about her drive to monetise the practice. It was also hard to say practitioners had zero idea what they were getting into, since their first view of OneTaste involved half-naked women reaching orgasmic plateaus in a group setting. But Daedone may well have encouraged some obsessive and vulnerable devotees to sit at her feet, amidst the hardy. It's not hard to believe duty of care was woefully insufficient and that some members experienced severe regrets and trauma. Even so, I'm troubled by the court case. Especially now that (dramatic drum-roll) Ayries Blanck's diaries have been disallowed as evidence, after the defence team substantiated their claim they were faked. It transpired the hand-written journals were copied from a computer document years after the events described took place. Also that the computer file appears to have been edited by various interested parties, casting doubts on its authenticity. Furthermore, Blanck's sister Autymn was paid $25,000 by Netflix to present archival material on behalf of her sister. Another perturbing factor is the charge itself: 'conspiracy to commit forced labour', rather than 'forced labour'. The odd wording may be due to the fact complainants admit no force was exerted on them. They were free to stay or leave OneTaste, to live in a communal house or elsewhere, to take breaks and use their mobiles as they pleased. So, it seems to me that what's on trial might more properly be viewed as sway – the kind of charisma that makes people keen to do your bidding and seek approbation, or to feel outcast if that approval is withdrawn. Many people will have had a boss, partner, parent or even religious leader who had this power over them. It can feel deeply unethical and people who have been in thrall to such personalities often bitterly regret their choices. But they will also likely find that other followers still lionise and defend that mesmerising figure. Daedone walks to court flanked by women supporters. Whatever your view on OneTaste, their alleged misdemeanours pale beside those of other high-profile cases going on in NYC at the moment: Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial for sex trafficking and Harvey Weinstein's appeal against rape and assault convictions. Isn't it possible that Daedone and Cherwitz are careless kooks and egomaniacs, not sex offenders? And that if they are found guilty, we may enter a world where no one takes personal responsibility for questionable choices. One where the state feels free to criminalise unconventional sex. If so, that is not a world I want to live in. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
I don't want to live in a world that criminalises unconventional sex
I don't have a pension pot for my dotage, but long thought that if I fell on hard times I could start a sex cult. After all, I used to edit the Erotic Review magazine and am the proud owner of an antler-horn headdress. At least, that was the plan until the New York trial of OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone and her head of sales, Rachel Cherwitz, started this month. The glossy duo, who ran an alternative lifestyle company focused on women's erotic pleasure, are charged with conspiracy to commit forced labour after a number of adherents said that they were coerced into having sex with colleagues and potential investors. Details of the allegations were laid out in investigations by Bloomberg, then a BBC podcast and, most infamously, in Netflix's Orgasm Inc, which incorporated passages from diaries written by a former sales rep for the company, Ayries Blanck. For anyone who doesn't scour streaming services for lurid sex documentaries, a little explication may be required. I feel fairly qualified on the topic, as I flew to San Francisco in 2011 to interview Daedone about OneTaste and her book Slow Sex: the Art and Craft of the Female Orgasm. The author and CEO had garnered ideas from Tantra, Buddhism and yoga and crafted them into what she dubbed 'Orgasmic Meditation', or OMing for short. The practice was conceived as an antidote to the 'harder, faster!' school of male-centric sex and was focused on female anatomy and pleasure. So far, so laudable; but the practice was also highly unorthodox – or plain whackjob, depending on your outlook. In essence, it involved women removing their lower clothing and reclining on a nest of cushions, before their OMing partner (generally a man) stroked their intimate anatomy for 15 minutes in a prescribed manner. This tended to occur in a room filled with other nesting couples with the avowed intention to build enhanced capacity for pleasure. Daedone and one of her wing women explained all this to me in a coffee bar, while radiating the beatific glow of sexy cats who'd drunk all the cream. I felt a bit like I'd fallen down a time wormhole and ended up at Woodstock circa 1969. I found Daedone intelligent, persuasive and charismatic: characteristics that would lead to her downfall, as she stepped ever further into Sex-guru Land. She espoused her wish for OM classes to be taught 'like yoga' in gyms across the US and the UK, to which I replied that while the idea might fly in hippy-dippy California, I couldn't see Milton Keynes's WI discarding their knickers in a David Lloyd club. However, not long afterwards OneTaste opened a branch in London and a handful of erotically short-changed women I knew (mostly divorcees) signed up for classes. One was so enthused she flew out to California for more in-depth courses. They were far from being the only enthusiasts; in 2018 Daedone appeared on Gwynneth Paltrow's Goop podcast, making the zenith of OneTaste's social acceptability. Shortly after that, Bloomberg ran an exposé on the movement's business practices: some members had fallen into heavy debt after paying for courses and others had felt pressurised into sexual liaisons. It also transpired that OneTaste had paid Ayries Blanck (author of the Netflix diaries) $325,000 to settle a labour dispute. Then the FBI started their own investigation and it was widely reported that Daedone and Cherwitz were going to be charged with sex trafficking. I felt rather like I do when told a married couple who enthusiastically embraced swinging had suddenly filed for divorce: who would have thought it, apart from absolutely everyone? But I still found it hard to view the upfront, engaging Daedone as an evil sex slaver. Rarely has a person been more candid about their methodology and objectives; she was even transparent about her drive to monetise the practice. It was also hard to say practitioners had zero idea what they were getting into, since their first view of OneTaste involved half-naked women reaching orgasmic plateaus in a group setting. But Daedone may well have encouraged some obsessive and vulnerable devotees to sit at her feet, amidst the hardy. It's not hard to believe duty of care was woefully insufficient and that some members experienced severe regrets and trauma. Even so, I'm troubled by the court case. Especially now that (dramatic drum-roll) Ayries Blanck's diaries have been disallowed as evidence, after the defence team substantiated their claim they were faked. It transpired the hand-written journals were copied from a computer document years after the events described took place. Also that the computer file appears to have been edited by various interested parties, casting doubts on its authenticity. Furthermore, Blanck's sister Autymn was paid $25,000 by Netflix to present archival material on behalf of her sister. Another perturbing factor is the charge itself: 'conspiracy to commit forced labour', rather than 'forced labour'. The odd wording may be due to the fact complainants admit no force was exerted on them. They were free to stay or leave OneTaste, to live in a communal house or elsewhere, to take breaks and use their mobiles as they pleased. So, it seems to me that what's on trial might more properly be viewed as sway – the kind of charisma that makes people keen to do your bidding and seek approbation, or to feel outcast if that approval is withdrawn. Many people will have had a boss, partner, parent or even religious leader who had this power over them. It can feel deeply unethical and people who have been in thrall to such personalities often bitterly regret their choices. But they will also likely find that other followers still lionise and defend that mesmerising figure. Daedone walks to court flanked by women supporters. Whatever your view on OneTaste, their alleged misdemeanours pale beside those of other high-profile cases going on in NYC at the moment: Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial for sex trafficking and Harvey Weinstein's appeal against rape and assault convictions. Isn't it possible that Daedone and Cherwitz are careless kooks and egomaniacs, not sex offenders? And that if they are found guilty, we may enter a world where no one takes personal responsibility for questionable choices. One where the state feels free to criminalise unconventional sex. If so, that is not a world I want to live in.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Woman's extraordinarily intimate on-stage act with two men revealed after she bizarre 'orgasm cult'
A woman was filmed kissing two men on stage before ending up flushed during a bizarre orgasm meditation ceremony. The footage was produced by prosecutors in the ongoing trial against OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone, 57, and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz, 44, who are accused of forcing members of the group to have sex with each other. In the clip, an unidentified woman wearing a robe is escorted by three men up on stage as part of OneTaste's lessons on 'orgasmic meditation'. A table lined with pillows and towels is visible behind as she and one of the men take center stage. She stands opposite him and they lightly embrace while staring into each other's eyes as ethereal music plays in the background. He begins to undo her robe and the footage cuts out before seemingly returning after she has completed an 'orgasmic meditation' session, which leaves her flushed and wiping her eyes and grinning at the audience. She then moves back from a table with towels on it and kisses a different man who has been watching in the audience, as they exchange 'I love you's. In another clip, Cherwitz refers to herself in the third person and tells an audience about her 'volatile' personality and struggle with 'consent'. OneTaste branded itself as a sexuality-focused wellness program that taught members how to rediscover their peace and heal trauma through 'orgasmic meditation' exercises. But prosecutors accuse Daedone and Cherwitz of running a forced labor scheme, by coercing members into working without pay and performing sexual acts on OneTaste investors. The clips were issued by prosecutors as the trial against Daedone and Cherwitz got underway in New York City this week. Jurors heard that executives at the allegedly cult-like startup forced their staff to have sex with each other in an attempt to relieve the sexual tension between them. One former worker, referred to only as 'Max' to protect their identity, told the court that Cherwitz sent two staff members off to have sex during a sales meeting, Courthouse News reports. Cherwitz attributed a profit dip at the firm's NYC branch to an alleged sexual tension between the two employees, Max testified. 'I felt so sick inside. I think that was the moment when I just woke up,' Max told the court, adding that the partner of one of the workers sent off for sex had a break down while she waited for the pair to return to the room. When the OneTaste leaders were arrested in 2023, current OneTaste CEO Anjuli Ayer slammed the charges as 'unfounded' in a statement to They slammed the indictment as the result of a 'misogynistic, media-driven campaign to tear down a feminine empowerment project and the women who devoted their lives to it.' Questions have been raised as to how the women recruited members into the group, with prosecutors alleging that they targeted 'individuals who had suffered prior trauma and advertised that OneTaste's courses and teachings could heal past sexual trauma and dysfunction.' In another clip released by prosecutors, Cherwitz was seen giving a seminar to members about how 'orgasmic meditation' works. She ranted about re-incarnation and admitted she is 'working on having consent' when carrying out her sessions. 'I think I wasn't a very nice person in a past life,' she said at one of the bizarre seminars. 'So when I incarnated in this life, they were like oh you know what? Let's just smack together every set of challenges you can possibly have. 'So, I tend to explode things and ignite things, and send people in a direction their soul is calling for that their vigilant center might not necessarily be in alignment with. 'That's why Rachel is working with having consent so that people don't get upset with her when things explode.' Daedone has also been accused of working with OneTaste's former chief technology officer Christopher Hubbard to 'seduce' an early investor, he told the court. The ex-CEO was also accused of encouraging a female employee to 'sexually service' her former boyfriend, the court heard. In the testimony from 'Max', the court heard that staff were required to be on call 24/7 and were expected to immediately respond to work text messages during their 'waking hours'. They alleged that taking sick or vacation days was prohibited. The witness said that employees in the NYC branch were responsible for cleaning up Daedone's hotel room before and after her stay. Max testified that this including the handling of used condoms in her hotel room. The witness also added that workers had to 'complain to higher-ups' in order to get paid or be put on the company payroll. Many employees lived together and shared beds, the court heard, and were allegedly expected to participate in daily morning 'orgasmic meditation circles'. The meditation activity was partnered and involved 'methodically stroking a woman's genitals for 15 minutes', testimony revealed. Another alleged victim known as Dana, who took the stand on Tuesday, told the court that she was instructed to engage in BDSM activities with early OneTaste investor Reese Jones. The court heard how Dana would allegedly walk Jones around on a leash or whip him with cattails, Courthouse News reports. She also allegedly lived with Jones for roughly three months and would frequently have sex with him, which she claims to have understood as being 'part of the job'. Dana, during cross-examination, testified that she 'liked Jones as a person' but added: 'I wouldn't say I was attracted to him.' The witness added that she had been instructed by higher-ups, including Cherwitz, to engage in sexual acts with the firm's high-paying clients. Although Dana not officially on Onetaste's payroll, she directly worked for Daedone and other leaders, the court heard. She allegedly paid $30,000 for the group's courses, which she claims was funded partly from sex work that a fellow OneTaste community member helped her arrange. OneTaste was featured in the 2022 Netflix 'true crime' documentary Orgasm Inc: the Story of OneTaste, which featured former worker Ayries Blanck and her journals, which painted a dark picture of the workplace. Five months after it aired, Daedone and Cherwitz were indicted. Both are charged with one count of forced labor conspiracy, and have pleaded not guilty.
Toronto Sun
21-05-2025
- Toronto Sun
YES! YES! YES! Orgasm cult guru accused of forcing pair into sex
Get the latest from Brad Hunter straight to your inbox Nicole Daedone, the founder and CEO of OneTaste, pleaded not guilty to a charge of forced labour conspiracy. Photo by Nicole Daedone / Instagram Prosecutors are going harder, Harder, HARDER! on a bizarre orgasm cult that allegedly forced staff to engage in hormone-charged hijinks to ease sexual tension. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Two executives with the 'orgasmic meditation' group are now on trial in a New York federal court charged with one count of forced labour conspiracy. Witnesses have detailed their wacky experiences working for San Francisco-based OneTaste and its founder, Nicole Daedone, 57, and onetime chief of sales Rachel Cherwitz, 44. According to the Daily Mail , the court heard from a person referred to as 'Max,' who testified that Cherwitz allegedly devised a unique solution to falling sales in New York. She blamed the plunge on sexual tension between two Big Apple staffers, and to solve the problem she allegedly sent the pair off to have sex in the middle of a sales meeting. Max testified: 'I felt so sick inside. I think that was the moment when I just woke up. (Chernowitz told the pair) I want you guys to go have sex right now.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. They added that the partner of one of the employees had a meltdown while the duo was gone, engaging in carnal capers. Max's testimony echoed that of a woman named 'Becky.' She was one of the two employees allegedly dispatched to have sex. She testified that the encounter was 'awkward' because her co-worker was in a relationship with her friend, who was also present at the meeting. In addition, he testified that climax queen Daedone was accused of scheming with OneTaste's former chief technology officer, Christopher Hubbard, to 'seduce' one of the quasi cult's early investors. Daedone was also accused of encouraging one female employee to 'sexually service' her ex-boyfriend. Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The forced labour scheme allegedly took place between 2006 and 2018. The victims were allegedly participants in OneTaste courses and employees of the Frisco startup. OneTaste was envisioned as a company that offered sexually focused wellness education. The company also put on events that offered 'slow sex' and 'orgasmic meditation' with the emphasis on female empowerment through multiple orgasms. Federal prosecutors say the OneTouch women exploited several people by coercing them to work without pay. More explosively, the women were convinced to perform sex acts with investors, allegedly through the use of 'cult-like' tactics. OneTaste orgasm cult founder Nicole Daedone, 57, and onetime chief of sales Rachel Cherwitz, 44. AP Besides the sexual antics, staff were allegedly on call 24/7 and were required to respond to text messages immediately. There were no sick or vacation days. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Max added that the employees were also responsible for cleaning Daedone's hotel room before and after a New York visit. That included handling numerous used condoms. In the two weeks since the trial began, the court has heard shocking details of the sexually super-charged OneTaste workplace. That included employees allegedly cohabiting, sharing beds and being expected to take part in morning 'orgasmic meditation circles.' Nicole Daedone has pleaded not guilty to a charge of forced labour conspiracy. Photo by Nicole Daedone. / Instagram As part of the 'meditation circles' where staff were paired up, participants were allegedly required to 'methodically stroke a woman's genitals for 15 minutes.' Another witness named Dana testified she was told to engage in BDSM sex with OneTaste investor Reese Jones. She would allegedly walk Jones around on a leash or whip him with cattails. She also allegedly lived with Jones for three months and often had sex with him. She understood this to be part of her job. OneTaste bosses allegedly instructed her to have sex with the company's high-rollers, she said, adding she paid $30,000 for the cult's courses. Dana claimed she earned the money from sex work, which another member helped arrange. The flaky orgasm group were spotlighted on a Netflix true crime documentary, and five months later, Daedone and Cherwitz were indicted. Both women deny the charges. It was revealed last week that the FBI agent investigating OneTaste used the Netflix doc as the basis of the complaint. The trial continues. bhunter@ @HunterTOSun Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Sunshine Girls Columnists Canada
