Under Construction –
Timeline and history of activity in Cardwell v. Ananda Marga Canada et al litigation initiated on January 12, 2017
This is a presentation of the history of the litigation involving parties related to Ananda Marga Canada, a non-profit charity and religious mission registered as a federal corporation in Canada in 1973. This history is comprised of notes of the activities that occured over the years, and of publicly available filings or records. Certain filings or documents are noted but not documented out of respect to each of the Parties and to the Court.
The history will be presented in reverse order so that the newest news and documents will remain at the top of the list, the oldest at the bottom.
Who is the Plaintiff? Jane Cardwell (Gaunga, or also known as Gaunga Devi, former director, former director of the board of director, Ananda Marga member-Ananda Margii) initiated the suit/claim without any prior notice or discussion with Ananda Marga Canada or with those who would become defendants. The date of filing of 2017-01-12 is about six months prior to the served notice to the defendants in July 2017.
Who are the Defendants? Ananda Marga Canada (a Canadian non-profit, religious charity corporation), Acarya Abhiramananda Avadhuta (Spiritual Director), Acharya Vimalananda Avadhuta (former director), Didrik Sveinn Bogason (Ac. Diiptimanananda Avt.), Pramod Kumar Biswas (Ac. Parinirvanananda Avt.), Tom Lavrih (Prashanta, former director and former officer), and Andrii Golovnia (Ananda Mohan). When the claim was initially filed, there were other defendants included and some now listed that were not included then. Due to reasons not fully understood, some of the former defendants remain listed on recent documents.
2025-09-08 – Plaintiff provides another “final” offer for settlement
2025-08-06 – Defendants provide another counter offer for settlement, primarily directed to Plaintiff’s 2025-05-27 offer
2025-07-31 – Plaintiff issues a fresh (new), amended Statement of Claim (3rd effort)
2025-07-30 – Plaintiff gives notice of objection to witnesses of the Defendants
2025-07-18 – Defendants issue a counter-offer for settlement
2025-06-21 – Defendants submit witness statements
2025-05-28 – Plaintiff submits its witness statements
2025-05-27 – Plaintiff offers another settlement offer
2025-04-11 – The Plaintiff communicates that at this stage the she is not interested in any further settlement
negotiations.
2025-04-11 – In text here – the expected schedule for the balance of 2025 as determined by the court: 2-week trial to commence Dec 1, Both sides are to provide witness list/summaries evidence by June 16, Plaintiff is to provide the proposed joint document brief by July 18, The Defendants are to provide responding comments in 30 days by Aug 15, and, The joint chronology/statement of agreement fact is due Oct 31 – the drafts will
have to be circulated in early October
2025-04-09 – After months of building, the in-person mediation was called off unilaterally by the Plaintiff and/or her advocate. With flights underway, Defendant representatives Dada Diiptimanananda (Didrik S Bogason flying from San Francisco) and Acarya Abhiramananda Avadhuta (AMC President, NY Sectorial Secretary, flying from Taiwan specifcally for the mediation) travelled at great expense to timely join in-person at the mediation meeting at the Plaintiff’s location-Ottawa.
2025-04-07 – Each of the parties receive an email appeal letter from a young senior active Margii clarifying that the Margii community is communicating and developing its collective response to the litigation
2024-10-27 – The Defendants and Plaintiffs exchange settlement offers and counter offers at this time and in the months following.
2024-10-18 – A pre-trial conference was scheduled and held with the Judge/court with the Parties attorneys in attendance. It was in this conference that the judge requested that the parties hold an in-person mediation.
2024-10-12 – Since on or around this date, the Parties began preparing for their first in-person mediation, in Ottawa. A list of qualified mediators were mutually being considered.
2024-10-08 – The Plaintiff issued a pre-trial memorandum in preparation of the pre-trial conference with the court and the defendant’s attorney.
2024-10-03 – On or around this date, the Plaintiff sends an electronic communication to Defendant Acarya Abhiramananda with an attack against Defendant Lavrih in an effort to destablize the Defendants.
2024-09-23 – Plaintiff supplies a settlement offer, which initiates months long exchanges of counter offers between the parties.
2024-09-17 – Plaintiff authors a letter purporting to go to all Canadian Margiis, falsely claiming “Many AM properties around the world have been sold and the money sent to lawyers overseas.” She rallies the Margiis to join her in her fight based on her perception of the complex legal status in India and misinformation about alleged AM property sales and how the defences against legal attacks such as hers are being funded.
2024-06-15 – The Plaintiff incorporates a new Canadian non-profit, charity corporation named Mission A.M.P.S. Canada
2024-02-28 – With the assistance of a neutral professional mediator, a day-long mediation is conducted electronically/remotely with the Plaintiff in Ottawa and Defendants in Toronto each with their respective counsel. The mediator was in a third location. All participants agree to keep the substance of the mediation private through a signed confidentiality agreement. There is no particular outcome to note. There is no mutually written statement. The mediator issues a report and it is filed with the court – the mediation effort had been mandated by the court.
2024-02-05 – Parties mutually retain a Mediator to conduct the first mediation session
2024-01-31 – Plaintiff makes an Offer to Settle
2023-12-11 – Plaintiff files an Amended Statement of Claim (2nd effort)
2023-12-04 – An updated Defendants list: Ananda Marga Canada (coporation), Acarya Abhiramananda Avadhuta (Spiritual Director), Acharya Vimalananda Avadhuta (former director), Didrik Sveinn Bogason (Ac. Diiptimanananda Avt.), Pramod Kumar Biswas (Ac. Parinirvanananda Avt.), Tom Lavrih (Prashanta, former director), and Andrii Golovnia (Ananda Mohan).
2023-10-31 – Plaintiff provides an audio recording and transcript of a 2017-07-12 phone call between Defendants Lavrih and the late Vinaya Hemmelgarn (passed away in 2021)
2023-10-19 – On or around this date, Discovery takes place where affidavits (statements) from key individuals and other evidence is shared among the parties
2023-05-16 – Plaintiff provided a detailed transcript of a 2015-01-15 phone call she had with Defendant Tom Lavrih that purports to support her earlier claim that the corporation failed to obtain approval from the general membership for the 1998 amendment to the bylaws
2023-03-16 – Defendants discover a 2014-10-30 email from the Plaintiff to Corporations Canada asserting that, in part, ” … the 1998 by-laws did not or if they have, should not have received ministerial approval due to failure to submit any approval by the general membership at that time and that the 1973 bylaws are to govern in the transition process.”
2023-03-02 – Plaintiff rejects the offer
2022-11-09 – Defendents provide an offer to settle the claim which include assurances that the two properties will not be sold, nor any commercial development done on them for a period of thirty-years.
2022-11-09 – Plaintiff files a Reply to the Defence Statement
2022-11-09 – On or before this date, Plaintiff announces a new attorney (5th)
2022-10-31 – Defendants file Statement of Defence
2022-09-20 – On or around this date, the Defendants learned that Plaintiff Cardwell asserted the demand to have the two lands she either donated entirely or in large part returned to her.
2019-02-21 – Plaintiff announces a new attorney (4th)
2018-04-30 – Plaintiff gives notice of her new attorney (3rd)
2018-04-29 – Plaintiff drops her attorney and declares self-representation (2nd)
2017-08-10 – Ananda Marga Canada meets and resolves to replace Acharya Vimalananda Avadhuta as a member, officer and Spiritual Director of the corporation with the new Sectorial Secretary, Acarya Abhiramananda Avadhuta filling the vacated roles. Other routine business resolutions were included in the same meeting.
2017-08-01 – On or around this date, Defendants Dave, and Pandey file notices to concede to claim of the Plaintiff agreeing not to defend or to contribute to the defense of the action.
2017-07-11 – The Plaintiff delayed the serving notice to the Defendants until this date. Many were served while in attendance at the New York Sectorial Ananda Marga Spiritual Conference in Missouri – a recurring annual event. There is no explanation why there was an almost six-month gap from the date on the face of the claim as having been filed with the court to the earliest date that the paperwork was delivered to any of the Defendants.
2017-05-04 – At the time of the filing of the claim, five of the defendants were members, directors and officers of Ananda Marga Canada as recorded by a filing with Corporations Canada.
2017-01-18 – The Plaintiff Jane Cardwell filed a claim against Defendants: Ananda Marga Canada (corporation), and the following individuals – Acharya Vimalananda Avadhuta (Spiritual Director), Didrik Sveinn Bogason (Ac. Diiptimanananda Avt.), Pramod Kumar Biswas (Ac. Parinirvanananda Avt.), Dave Mehool, Awdhesh Pandey, Tom Lavrih (Prashanta), L. Michael Hemmelgarn (Vinaya), and John Doe (apparently directed at Acarya Abhiramananda Avadhuta-later filings confirm this).
For pre-2017 historical corporate documents of Ananda Marga Canada, please see this page.