*UPDATE* This lawsuit against Ray has since been dismissed.
The hits just keep coming for "spiritual warrior" James Arthur Ray, the snake-oil salesman charged in the deaths of three people at a sweat-lodge ceremony in Sedona last October.
Lawsuits filed in Maricopa County Superior Court claim that Ray misled people into paying for "self-help" events in advance but never actually held the events.
Ray is accused of breach of contract, consumer fraud, and unjust enrichment, in the suit -- which names three plaintiffs, including a Mesa resident.
According to the suit, dug up by the Associated Press, a Las Vegas woman paid about $8,000 for two events; Patricia Franklin of Mesa paid nearly $3,350 for two events; and Kim Wilson of Los Angeles paid more than $12,500 for four events.
Ray posts a refund policy on his Web site, but it doesn't mention what's to happen if Ray cancels an event after customers have paid up.
After the deaths in Sedona, Ray stopped hosting events and was later ordered by a judge to not conduct dangerous "self-help" activities, like cramming dozens of people into a poorly ventilated sweat tent.
Ray is still spewing his "knowledge" on his Web site, though, something he's calling "[his] gift to you." Check back to Valley Fever on Wednesday to get our take on Ray's weekly nuggets of wisdom.
