“Text Us When You Pee”: Micromanagement and Mental Manipulation
The trial peeled back layers of a corporate culture that prosecutors painted as both cult and startup. Led by Cherwitz, OneTaste’s sales team endured grueling, near-constant work schedules, micromanaged to an Orwellian degree.
One sales group chat, jurors heard, required members to report each bathroom break — a chilling detail used by prosecutors to underscore the company’s obsession with control.
In this environment, OneTaste employees were allegedly pressured to open lines of credit and take on debt to afford the company’s costly courses, which could run into the thousands. Many were left financially broken while leaders profited.
The Defense: Consent, Not Coercion
Attorneys for Daedone and Cherwitz argued that their clients were pioneers in alternative wellness, not criminals. They claimed that the government had mischaracterized consensual adult behavior and that none of the witnesses reported their discomfort or alleged coercion to Daedone or Cherwitz during their tenure.
Defense teams tried to reframe OneTaste as an empowerment community, suggesting the plaintiffs were engaged willingly and only turned against the company after leaving.
But the jury didn’t buy it.
