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In what may be the first consumer-protection lawsuit filed against a psychedelic mushroom retreat company, a woman has sued Eugene-based Mandala Journey Work LLC for promising a peaceful four-day experience at a “tranquil” home with strolls in the forest, but instead delivering a cramped Airbnb with short walks in a city park.
Lynne Silva sued Mandala for unlawful trade practices in U.S. District Court in Eugene today, claiming that she paid $3,000 for a retreat that didn’t meet expectations set by its sales pitch.
Silva says she was dismayed soon after arriving at the retreat in November because Mandala was charging more for psilocybin than the company had advertised. Things got worse from there, she says.
“Defendant advertised that its retreat would include outdoor activities in the forests surrounding Eugene and accommodations in a spacious, supportive, and tranquil home featuring three separate living areas for breakout sessions and quiet self-reflection and an enclosed backyard for privacy,” Silva says in her complaint.
Instead, Silva says she found herself in an Airbnb so small that one of the other retreat participants had to sleep in a common room, making it off-limits after bedtime. Worse yet, Mandala failed to reserve the Airbnb for the third night, she alleges, so participants had to rush through a “morning sound ceremony” in order to check out on time and move to another one.
“The new Airbnb was not spacious, did not even have a dining table, did not have a backyard with privacy from neighbors, and was far from tranquil, as defendant had advertised,” Silva claims. “Defendant’s retreat also failed to provide plaintiff access to outdoor activities in the forests surrounding Eugene as advertised. Instead, defendant took plaintiff and the other attendees into the yard of the first Airbnb, later took them to a city park, then killed time by driving them around downtown Eugene.”
Michael Fuller, Silva’s attorney, says her case is likely the first of its kind in the country. Oregon was the first state to legalize psilocybin, followed by Colorado. Fuller filed the case in federal court because Silva lives in Vancouver, Wash., and Mandala is in Oregon.
Mandala Journey Work LLC is controlled by Katie Markley and Nathaniel Wendt, according to Oregon state business records. On her LinkedIn profile, Markley lists a bachelor’s degree in fine art and a minor in business from the University of Oregon, and a master’s in transpersonal therapy art therapy from Naropa University in Boulder, Colo. Wendt is an “engineer, father, and psychedelic explorer,” according to his bio on Mandala’s website.
Mandala didn’t immediately return a message sent through its website. Markley didn’t immediately return a message sent to a personal email account or a voicemail left on her cell number.
Mandala is licensed as a service center by the Oregon Health Authority, which administers the state’s legal psilocybin program created by voters in 2020. Markley is licensed as a facilitator, according to the state’s directory.