Mahendra Trivedi claims in court records to possess an extraordinary gift.
Trivedi says that through energy transmitted from his body, he can cure cancer, restore the health of livestock and grow better crops, according to records filed in Ramsey County District Court. The website for his Nevada-based organization claims Trivedi, also known as Guruji, has helped nearly 150,000 people through unique abilities that are backed up by hard science.
According to a lawsuit, the success of the "Trivedi Effect" has been torpedoed by online smears from a guy in St. Paul named Dennis Lang.
Four years ago, Lang started tapping out blog posts raising questions about Trivedi's assertions and behavior. Now he's defending himself against a defamation lawsuit filed by Trivedi that has taken some remarkable turns.
In 2013, an Arizona judge approved a staggering $59 million judgment against Lang, who didn't show up to contest the lawsuit. Last year, the Minnesota Court of Appeals tossed the judgment, saying that an Arizona court had no jurisdiction over Lang.
Then Trivedi refiled his lawsuit in Minnesota. Last month, Ramsey County District Judge Robert Awsumb refused to dismiss the suit and told Lang to start handing over documents to Trivedi in advance of trial.
Though he found it "terrifying" to be sued at first, Lang is more sanguine now.
"Honestly, this has been such a fascinating experience for me," Lang said. "What I've learned is the extent to which someone will go to silence a community."