full name bikram choudhury. his brand of hot yoga, 26 poses performed in 105 degree heat, also hugely popular. heat. ordered by a los angeles jury to pay $6.4 million in punitive damages for sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and gender discrimination. that on top of $924,000 in compensatory damages awarded just yesterday. more than $7 million awarded to one victim. >> i feel vindicated. i'm elated. >> reporter: attorney miki jafa-bodden. >> my professional relationship ended when i was fired by mr. choudhury. >> reporter: jafa-bodden was general counsel to bikram's yoga college of india. she convinced the jury the 69-year-old yoga guru repeatedly sexually harassed her and subjected her to obscene comments about women. but she claimed she was fired after she started to investigate other women's allegations of sexual harassment and rape. >> perhaps the first one or two surprised me. but after i began to see a surprised me, i'm sad to say. >> reporter: this is just one of half a dozen lawsuits against the fl

bikram's wife of 31 years, rajashri choudhury, has since g petra stark, the former president of his company, has resigned, too, filing her own lawsuit. at stake is a yoga empireorth millions. bikram was one of the pioneers of yoga in america, setting up shop in beverly hills back in the 1970s. his client list a who's famous. >> this is martin and me. >> reporter: now his yoga studios are franchised worldwide. a booming business he's of. >> why do you think americans are so fascinated by yoga? it seems like everywhere you go there's a yoga studio. man. his hobby, collecting cars. >> beatles make two movie with this car. >> reporter: back in 2012 he gave me a tour of his collection. rolls-royces. that his legal problems have taken a serious toll on his finances, putting him on the he told the court his car collection now belongs to the state of california. his collection to become a bikram auto engineeringhildren so kids could learn about cars. for bikram's alleged victims today's jury award is a victo spoke with all will have their day in court later this year when their trials begin. >> wha

a jury found bikram choudhury guilty of sexual area has.must pay his former lawyer nearly seven and a half million dollars in total damages. the lawyer claimed choudhury harassed her and also fired her for refusing to cover up a rape claim against him. choudhury is also named in six other sex assault lawsuits. he's repeatedly denied the allegations. the 69-year-old built an empire on his 90 minute routine performed in rooms reaching more than a hundred degrees. but choudhury contends he's now bankrupt. >> customs agents busted a birdbrained plan to smuggle live animals into the united states. the man had concealed six exotic birds inside his fanny pack, three more were actually in his pants. the man was a passenger on a flight from cuba to florida on january 9th. border patrol took him into custody at miami international airport. it is illegal to smuggle live animals into the u.s. >> it is 5:47. the alarming watchdog government report that finds the lack of air traffic controllers could be putting in you danger. >> and a man breaks into a f

bikram choudhury. fired her after she refused to investigate a rape claim against him. six other women have filed sexual harassment claims. choudhury told the judge yesterday he's now nearly bankrupt. >> new on "action news," u.s. customs arrested a man who tried smuggling live birds in his pants. the man was a passenger on a january 9th flight from cuba to miami. officials say he was concealing six exotic birds in a fanny pack 13 more in his trousers. the birds were turned over to the department offing a culture's miami quarantine station. it is violation of federal law to smuggle live animals into the u.s. >>> the surveillance video shows a thief breaking into a plastic surgery office in coral gables florida. the staff says he skipped swiping any cell phones or computers out in the opened and instead went right for the botox medication. he stole $20,000 worth of the medication and botox equipment. >> it is 4:57. all new on "action news," modern family actress sophia vergara is standing up to a beauty

she sued choudhury saying he sexually harassed then wrongfully fired her for investigating a rape allegation made by another woman. bikram yoga has grown into an empire taught at more than 650 studios worldwide. he said his legal problems have almost bankrupt him. six other women also filed suit. five accuse choudhury of raping >>> time to check the accuweather forecast. >> let's check in with meteorologist bill evans. >> this morning it feels good outside. we have a light wind to a west wind. you feel that coming in. everybody is getting off the subways with the right footwear on, the coat. we see this melting today. the temperatures this morning are not below freezing in any part of the area. we don't see a risk of any black ice on roadways or sidewalks this morning. here is a look outside from our cameras. we will show you a live picture from the beautiful jersey shore, asbury park. a morning where we start out at 44 degrees. winds are west, barometer 29.95 right at 30 which is our mark of fair weather. normal high of 39. yesterday 48. sun officially up at 7:11. a beautiful sunrise around 5:00. the daylight hours are

bikram choudhury was ordered to pay $6.4 million after a jury found him guilty of sexual at least seven women have filed sexual harassment claims against choudhury in recent years, claims he continues to denies. >> rochelle: shares of whole foods are down almost 15% and wall street says it time to sell with stock selling for half price. it's lost about 50% of it's market value since the end of 2013. >>> rochelle: apple is taking a big bite out of profits. it had the most profitable quarter for any american company in history. but it looks like the company's era of unprecedented growth is over. according to apple's financial report i-phone sales are growing, but are slowing down. apple says it believes sales quarter, that would be the first time in 13 years. >>> rochelle: and when it comes to tax season there are two yourself or go to an accounting firm. but now there's another option. high school students in up to 700 returns this season. it's all part of a volunteer group to help local residents save money. and in case you were wondering, yes, they are irs certified. >>> rochelle: holl

a jury found bikram choudhury guilty of sexual harassment. former lawyer nearly seven and a half million dollars in damage. the lawyer claimed cloud reharassed her and fired her for refusing to cover up a rape claim against him. choudhury is also named in six other sex assault lawsuits. he's repeatedly denied the allegations. the 69-year-old built an empire on his 90 minute routine performed in rooms reaching more than a hundred degrees. choudhury now contends he's bankrupt. >> today marks one year since a roof collapse injured three people at a center city retailer. it happened at the lululemon location on the 1700 block of walnut street. bricks from the neighboring building fell off and crashed through lululemon's roof. 28-year-old allison friedman was one of the people hit by the debris. the teacher from south philadelphia filed a lawsuit yesterday. friedman says she lives in constant pain since the accident. >> it is 6:46. the old saying goes a bird in the land is worth two perhaps in a bush. what about a whole flock in your pants. that p

a los angeles jury hit bikram choudhury with nearly $6.5 million in punitive damage to his former legal advisor. a day earlier the same jury awarded her nearly a million dollars. however, the centric yoga guru testified yesterday that he's nearly bankrupt now. >>> so-called affluenza teen texas before week's end. he has decided to drop his appeal against deportation from mexico. couch and his mother fled to mexico after video surfaced that appeared to show couch at a party where people were drinking. that would be a violation of his probation for his drunk driving accident that left four people deed. >>> the american pastor who was released by iran recently is now back home. sayid abedini arrived. in boise, idaho, on a private plane after spending several days in north carolina with his mother and sister. his wife and children planned to meet him there but instead they've reunited in the midwest. he was jailed in iran for nearly four years presumably for preaching christianity. >>> and a decision of a -- on hospitality for iranian president during a visit to rome is being ruled as ridic

los angeles jury hit bikram choudhury with nearly $7.5 million in damages to his former legal adviser. however, the eccentric yoga guru testified he is nearly bankrupt now. >>> finally a photographer is best known for his portrait of celebrities is getting a lot of buzz for something he. kevin absoch usually gets half a million dollars for portraits of someone famous like malala yousafzai or even yoko ono but the latest photo is but still just a vegetable. here's the big headline. this photo sold for more than $1 million, and that makes it, if i might say, a sweet potato. >> oh. you did it again. well done. >> it is a good-looking potato. a million dollars. i don't know. >> you just said it's a good-looking potato. >> it is. >> okay. >> it's a spud. >> we're going to move on. we have new details now about the drug that may have saved pamela anderson's life. she made headlines by revealing she's free of hepatitis c after more than a decade and we're learning more about the treatment that cured her. abc's jim avila has the story. >> pamela. >> reporter: for pamela anderson who saved liv

yoga has been ordered to pay six point four million dollars after a jury found him guilty of bikram choudhury was ordered to pay damages to his former lawyer, who says he sexually harassed her. she also claims choudhury fired her after she investigated a rape claim against him. at least six other women have filed sexual harassment claims against choudhury in recent years, which he has denied. scattered showers are in the forecast wednesday as a front slowly moves into the state and highs in the mid 50s. showers will diminish thursday with partly to mostly cloudy skies...highs near 50 degrees. friday through sunday will be gorgeous behind the front with highs in the 60s and lower 70s. the time is now . thanks for starting your day we'll have the latest on the investigation. and -- donald trump makes a return visit to the palmetto state today ahead of the iowa caucuses. but -- he'll be noticeably absent from the debate stage later this week. why he says staying away, is in his best interest. plus... showers expected today. i'll have the latest in your first alert forecast. it's s dnesday, janua

the founder of bikram yoga, bikram choudhury has claims he raped a student.er. prosecutors in l.a. said there wasn't enough evidence to file charges after four women accused him of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. three of those women have now filed civil lawsuits. >>> a valuable statue stolen from the cal crew team has been found but it's in pieces. saturday night some alert san leandro police officers saw a pickup truck that looked out of place at a storage yard. they saw part of the five foot tall statue sticking out from underneath the tarp. they knew it was the statue of carroll ky ebright, but the statue looked cut up. >> it was bittersweet. we got the statue back. but to see it in this condition is pretty devastating. it's definitely a small victory to have it back. so we're glad to have it back. but it's sad. >> san leandro police arrested a man linked to that pickup truck. he is 46-year-old dean gamaza who police say was on probation. they think he was planning to sell the bronze pieces as scrap metal. >>> in a couple of hours the 49ers will off

bikram chaud-ree choudhury was ordered to pay damages to his former lawyer who says he sexually harassed her. she also claims he fired her after she investigated a rape claim against him. at least six other women have filed sexual harassment claims against him in recent years - u-s customs arrested a man they say tried smuggling live birds -- in his pants. the man was a passenger on a flight from cuba to florida. customs and border patrol agents took the man into custody earlier this month at miami international airport. officials say the passenger was concealing six exotic groin area. the birds were turned over the the department of agriculture's miami quarantine station. mastering the art of cooking can be a daunting task... but a new local business wants to help everyone learn the joy of cooking. and, ?do you need help cutting down that internet bill? we've got some easy ways you can save money on all of your monthly bills. "you're watching kolo 8 news now good morning reno with dave lawrence, amanda sanchez and lindsey matherly with your hour by hour forecast" drought conditions have

the founder of the popular bikram yoga workout has been slapped with a hefty payout after being found guilty of sexual harassment. harassment.bikram choudhury has been ordered to pay his former attorney more than 7- million dollars.she says he sexually harrassed her several times -- then fired after she investigated a rape claim against him.at least six women harassed by (choudhury over the past couple of years, although he denies the accusations. his wife has since filed for divorce. trials for the other alleged victims are scheduled for later this year. popular netflix series "making a murderer" has launched a protest. and wisconsin authorities are now preparing for protesters in support of a convicted murderer, who many believe was framed by police. police.steven avery... and his newphew brandan dassey are both in prison in connection with the 2005 death of a female photographer. the netflix series outlined the trial from beginning to end, exposing what some believe is police corruption.protesters believe police framed avery because he was suing the department over a previous wrongful conviction. <"we think he's innocent, and i feel like

bikram hot yoga will now have to pay more than six-million-dollars after a jury found him guilty of sexual harassment. harassment.bikram chohohury lawyer who says he sexually harassed her.she also claims choudhury fired her after she investigated a rape claim against him.at least six other women have filed sexual harassment claims against choudhury in recent years, claims he's repeatedly denied. toyota held on to its title of top-selling automaker in 20-15. 20-15.the japanese company sold over ten million cars last year, despite getting caught up in the massive takata airbag recall.toyota had to recall millions of vehicles due to fears that the airbags it installed might explode.volkswagen briefly passed toyota in global sales last year.but that was before an emissions scandal damaged the german company's reputation. the winter storm that burried the east coast did damage to broadway box office reports. reports.most shows only did six performances last week instead of eight, with every show losing m mey compared to the previous week.grosses for the week ended at nearly 16- million dollars.that's 10 rebecca has your weather to go next...but first here's a look a group of friends in brooklyn , ne

los angeles jury hit bikram choudhury with nearly $7.5 million in damages to his former legal adviser. however, the eccentric yoga guru testified he is nearly bankrupt now. >>> finally a photographer is best known for his portrait of celebrities is getting a lot of buzz for something he. kevin absoch usually gets half a million dollars for portraits of someone famous like malala yousafzai or even

choudhury. >> reporter: jafa-bodden was general counsel to bikram's yoga college of india. she convinced the jury the 69-year-old yoga guru repeatedly sexually harassed her and subjected her to obscene comments about women. but she claimed she was fired after she started to investigate other women's allegations of sexual harassment and rape. >> perhaps the first one or two surprised me. but after i began to see a pattern, they no longer surprised me, i'm sad to say.

choudhury. >> reporter: jafa-bodden was general counsel to bikram's yoga college of india.

bikram hot yoga will now have to pay more than six-million-dollars after a jury found him guilty of sexual harassment. harassment.bikram chohohury lawyer who says he sexually harassed her.she also claims choudhury fired her after she investigated a rape claim against him.at least six other women have filed sexual harassment claims against choudhury in recent years, claims he's repeatedly denied. toyota held on to its title of top-selling automaker in 20-15. 20-15.the japanese company sold over ten million cars last year, despite getting caught up in the massive takata airbag recall.toyota had to recall millions of vehicles due to fears that the airbags it installed might explode.volkswagen briefly passed toyota in global sales last year.but that was before