Family sues Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps after employee dies during ketamine massage therapy - CBS News 8

[Ashley Na]

Longtime employee Denise Lozano's died after getting a company-sponsored ketamine massage.



SAN DIEGO — San Diego Police found 50-year-old Denise Lozano naked and dead from a drug overdose in the bedroom of her Mission Hills home on December 10, 2022.


Denise Lozano, however, was not a drug addict.


More than four hours before police arrived, Lozano, a longtime employee of Vista-based natural soap maker Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, had taken the recommendations from her company to get a "K-Massage," a ketamine massage in hopes of relieving the constant back pain she suffered.


The man who made the phone call to the police that day was Christian Lee Allbert, a self-proclaimed "Quigong" practitioner, who, according to a wrongful death filed by Denise Lozano's family, was a key player in Dr. Bronner's informal "wellness program" that was made available to employees such as Denise Lozano.


Before her death, Denise Lozano was a full-time employee at Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps. She performed charitable work alongside the company, including hurricane disaster relief efforts in Immokalee, Florida, and political action activities in Nevada, Washington, D.C., and Asheville.


As part of her job, Denise Lozano was a member of the 'Foamy Homies,' a crew that promoted the brand at events such as Burning Man and other popular festivals. Because Denise Lozano was not a drug user, she was named the designated driver. But it was driving the Foamy Homie bus when Denise Lozano injured her back, which her family says led her to receive her company-sponsored ketamine massage, which her family says led to her fatal overdose.

More than two years after her death, Denise Lozano's family is seeking justice and, more importantly, looking to prevent another person from suffering a similar fate. In December 2024, her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Bronner's, the company CEO, also known as the "Cosmic Engagement Officer," David Bronner, and the de-facto ketamine masseuse Allbert.


"My family and I want to make sure this type of tragedy doesn’t happen again and that my sister is remembered for the kind and loving mother, daughter, fiancé, and sister whose life was wrongfully cut way too short," said Denise Lozano's sister, Raquel Lozano in a statement to CBS 8.

Dr. Bronner's Mission - Advocacy for Psychedelics​

The lawsuit​

Dr. Bronner's is a family-owned business that produces soaps with "only the purest organic and fair trade ingredients," according to the company's website. It states Dr. Bronner's has always been "the fighting & uniting soap company,” advocating and financially supporting causes including regenerative organic agriculture and the environment, drug policy and criminal justice reform, civil and human rights, community betterment and animal advocacy.


The company also emphasizes its employees, referring to them as families and extended family members. "Every 'family member' in every position within the company has an important role to play and deserves to enjoy the best benefits and compensation programs we can offer," Dr. Bronner's website states.


The soap company has been operating for 150 years. Its headquarters are located in Vista, about two miles from Buena Vista Park.


The company was founded in 1948 by Emanuel Heilbronner, a third-generation master soapmaker from a German Jewish soap-making family. Bronner, who dropped 'Heil' from his last name with the rise of Hitler, immigrated to the United States in 1929 after conflicts with his family due to his Zionist ideals and ideas for modern soapmaking.


In the 1960s, Dr. Bronner's plant moved to Escondido. By 1980, the natural soap began rising in popularity. According to company literature, the soap maker earned $170 million in revenue in 2022.


As the company grew, the family dynamic changed. Emmanuel Bronner died in 1997. Starting in 1998, Emanuel Bronner's son, Jim Bronner, was battling cancer while training his son, David Bronner, to run the company. At the time, David Bronner was a 24-year-old Harvard graduate, a mental health counselor, and a hemp advocate. During David Bronner's rise to power, the company focused more and more on the benefits of psychedelics.


Since 2015, David Bronner has served on the board of directors for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, and Dr. Bronner has a partnership with them in advocating the decriminalization of psychedelics on the state level, according to the company's website.


In a blog post uploaded on Feb. 28, 2022, Dr. Bronner announced that starting Jan. 1, 2022, the company's coverage expansion in its mental healthcare benefits for employees would include ketamine-assisted therapy through a partnership with Enthea, a nonprofit healthcare organization that aims to provide safe and affordable access to psychedelic-assisted therapies.


"Enthea also plans to administer coverage for MDMA-assisted therapy and psilocybin-assisted therapy, once those treatments receive FDA approval," the post said.


In addition to ketamine-assisted therapy, Dr. Bronner's has actively advocated for the use of psychedelic-assisted therapy to treat PTSD, depression, addiction and end-of-life anxiety under the company's campaign "HEAL SOUL!"


In July 2023, Enthea released the results of patients covered under Dr. Bronner's benefit plan who underwent ketamine-assisted therapy. According to Enthea, 7% of overall health plan members completed their physician-recommended, ketamine-assisted therapy treatment regimen during the first year. This included medical and psychiatric intake, preparatory sessions, ketamine medicine sessions, and therapy sessions to integrate the experiences into the patients' daily lives.


Enthea's data showed that there were symptom score reductions for patients with PTSD, major depressive disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. From the treatment, patients saw 86% improvement in PTSD, 67% improvement in major depressive disorder, and 65% improvement in generalized anxiety disorder. After one year, Enthea said 82% of the employees were no longer taking antidepressants.

Denise Lozano's Death​

December 10, 2022, was an ordinary day for Denise Lozano.


Before Allbert arrived at Denise Lozano's home on Wednesday, Dr. Bronner's employees and some Foamy Homies members, who were on their way to the airport, stopped by her Mission Hills home in the early afternoon to drop off some items they did not want to take on the plane to Asheville, North Carolina.


For most of the day, Denise Lozano, according to the family's lawsuit, was making plans to attend her fiance's art opening and to attend a birthday party of another company employee.


The day was also spent dealing with the constant back pain Denise Lozano felt.


For relief, she had scheduled a 2:30 pm ketamine massage with Allbert.


The lawsuit claims that as a member of the Foamy Homies, Denise Lozano was led to believe that her employment, informal wellness program, and work environment were safe due to "the allure of being part of Dr. Bronner's family, the social contributions that the company appeared to give via its non-profit associations, and the' love and friendship' practiced by her co-employees..." and that she could trust her close, personal friends, David Bronner and his wife Mia Bronner, and accept the services provided by Allbert.


Although Dr. Bronner's has its own formally approved Ketamine program, Allbert's services and products were part of an informally sponsored wellness program.


Through their recommendations, Denise Lozano believed Allbert's services and products were a part of Dr. Bronner's wellness program available to the inner circle of the Foamy Homies and received his unlicensed medical and treatment services, paid for by the company.


At some point during the ketamine massage, something went wrong. Something the family told CBS 8 that they are still trying to piece together.


What the family does know, however, is that Allbert arrived at Denise Lozano's home at around 2:30 pm, as scheduled.


At 4:20 p.m., he texted Mia Bronner, updating her that things were "going well."


Around 6:37 p.m., Allbert called 911 to report Denise Lozano's death, two hours after the time the massage should have ended.


According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs said that when police arrived at Denise Lozano's home, it was obvious that the scene was inconsistent with Allbert's statements. He seemed to have altered or cleaned the scene to avoid criminal prosecution.


Following her death, the lawsuit claims that two of Dr. Bronner's employees informed a witness that the company executives met with the legal team to discuss the incident involving Denise Lozano, and Dr. Bronner's employees were advised not to tell anyone about the situation.


Days after the death of Denise Lozano, the family's lawsuit alleges that Mia Bronner admitted to a witness that she and David Bronner also received massages and drugs from Allbert at their home for a few hours and that they had been "too strong." She said David Bronner went first and that Allbert got high at the same time he was giving a ketamine massage and left when David Bronner was still "really high."


The family's complaint also alleges that David Bronner admitted fault to a witness on the first or second days of the shock of Denise Lozano's death, apologizing and saying that he and "his wife loved Denise and regardless of any future entanglement or ramifications that everyone would miss Denise and that 'she was a good person and trusted friend."


As for Allbert, the man who allegedly supplied Denise Lozano with the fatal dose, police arrested him for possession of cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, MDA, and metal knuckles. He pleaded guilty to felony convictions for cocaine and a Class I controlled substance.


Allbert, however, has not been charged in connection with Lozano's death.


Allbert did not respond to a request for comment.


CBS 8 also contacted Dr. Bronner's for comment but did not receive a response.


Meanwhile, Denise Lozano's younger sister, Raquel Lozano, told CBS 8 that she and her family hope to find answers and hold those accountable.


"This lawsuit is about honoring Denise’s life and legacy. She was a talented artist with a heart of gold," said Raquel Lozano. "She put her love and trust in the wrong people and lost her life because of it. I sincerely hope that the people who knowingly and recklessly put her in harm's way learn that their actions and behaviors did and can have dire consequences."