Allegations of Drink Tampering Lead to Lawsuit After California Tango Gathering

A man from the suburbs of Seattle, passionate about tango dancing, is embroiled in a legal dispute following an incident at a California Airbnb after a dance festival in March 2023. He claims that a late-night social event, which he attended with alcohol, led to unfounded accusations against him.

Eduard Koller arrived at the gathering holding a tequila and a gin-based cocktail. He asserts that the event concluded peacefully, with him and four others returning to their hotel via Uber. However, a year later, he alleges he was barred from participating in a tango marathon in Massachusetts. The reason, he says, was due to claims of inappropriate behavior made by the event organizers, specifically citing concerns about alleged misconduct at the California event.

Koller states that he was accused of tampering with a beverage during the gathering, an act he firmly denies. He emphasizes that he was never alone with the person who made the allegations and maintains their interactions were limited to meeting at tango events between 2022 and 2024.

Koller alleges that psychologist Tehela Nimroody accused him of beverage tampering and that she ignored his attempts to clarify her claim via Facebook messages. He is pursuing legal damages and seeks a court order to prevent both Oh and Nimroody from posting further defamatory statements about him.

Neither James Oh nor Nimroody responded to requests for comment.