ENCINITAS — The family of a former Dr. Bronner’s employee who died in late 2022 has settled its legal case against the Vista soap company, and is now focusing on legal action against an Encinitas man who allegedly gave her a ketamine massage the day she died.
Denise Lozano, 50, died in December 2022 after receiving what was supposed to be a ketamine massage from Christian Lee Allbert, who operates Encinitas holistic healing center Soul Reintegration.
Lozano’s cause of death was an accidental overdose of MDA, a drug similar to MDMA that is more potent, and no one has been criminally charged in connection with her death.
Lozano’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Dr. Bronner’s and Allbert in December 2024. They claimed that Dr. Bronner’s executives, including CEO David Bronner and his wife Mia Bronner, referred Lozano to Allbert after using his services in the past, and that he allegedly gave her a lethal dose of MDA.
On March 7, Dr. Bronner’s and the Lozano family released a joint statement confirming that the case had been settled.
“Denise was an employee of Dr. Bronner’s at the time of her death two years ago. She was a cherished employee and treasured member of Dr. Bronner’s community and a beloved daughter, sister, mother, and family member. We hold her and all those who loved her in our hearts,” the statement said. “The Lozano and Bronner families have now resolved the legal case amicably, and the lawsuit against the Dr. Bronner’s company, as well as its CEO, and other employees, will be dismissed.”
The Vista-based company explained that Dr. Bronner’s does offer ketamine-assisted therapy as an employee benefit; however, the massage Lozano received was not part of the company-provided program.
In addition, neither David nor Mia Bronner recommended that Lozano get a ketamine massage, the company asserted.
“The lawsuit alleges that Denise died while receiving a form of ketamine treatment that may have involved other drugs. She received the treatment at her home, unrelated to the legal and authorized program Dr. Bronner’s company offers as a mental health benefit,” Dr. Bronner’s said.
Lozano, described as a kind and loving artist and activist, worked at Dr. Bronner’s in a group of artists and performers called the “Foamy Homies,” who dance and blast all-natural foam at community events in the “Magic Foam Experience.”
In addition to her role at Dr. Bronner’s, Lozano was a director at Amikas, a nonprofit building tiny homes for homeless women and children. She was involved in the community creator space CoLab.
Attorney Marc Bragg, representing the Lozano family, said they reached an amicable resolution with Dr. Bronner’s and are now focusing on Allbert, 64. Bragg said they have served him with the lawsuit, but that he has not responded or made any appearance in court.
Allbert told The Coast News last week he was not aware of the lawsuit. He was sent a copy of the complaint, and he declined to comment.
Autopsy report sheds light on worker’s death
According to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s autopsy report, Lozano had a scheduled ketamine massage at her home on Dec. 12, 2022. The massage therapist provided a two-hour massage, and at around 5:30 p.m., Lozano took ketamine and went to lie down in her bed while the massage therapist waited on her couch.
After waiting “a while,” the report says the massage therapist checked on Lozano and found her unresponsive in her bed. He called 9-1-1 at around 6:37 p.m., with paramedics arriving soon after and confirming her to be deceased.
The report does not clarify whether the massage therapist provided the MDA that Lozano took. However, her family’s lawsuit claims that Allbert gave her the substance, and that she was led to believe it was ketamine.
The autopsy report confirms that no ketamine was found in her system.
“Defendant Allbert did not advise or inform Denise that he was providing her with MDA or MDMA, or any other controlled substances in combination with MDA or MDMA,” the suit states.
The lawsuit also claims that Allbert waited longer than he should have to call paramedics, which may have tampered with the scene.
Bragg said the family held off on filing a lawsuit against Allbert because other agencies, including the San Diego Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration, said they were conducting their own investigations into the incident.
However, Bragg said the family began to receive “mixed messages” from investigators about the status of the investigation, and Allbert was ultimately never charged in connection with Lozano’s death.
“It felt like it evaporated. We felt like there was enough evidence there to arrest him,” Bragg said. “We’re gonna start focusing on Allbert and trying to locate him.”
Kelly McKay, spokesperson for the DEA’s San Diego field office, said their investigation into Lozano’s death is closed and declined to provide further comment. The San Diego Police Department did not respond to inquiries by print deadline.
The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office did not comment directly on the case. However, spokesperson Tanya Sierra said the office can only file charges “when we believe we can prove them beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Allbert has faced other charges from the District Attorney’s Office. In 2023, less than a year after Lozano’s death, Allbert was arrested for possession of cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, metal knuckles and a leaded cane, and sentenced to two years of felony probation in January 2024.
According to the business website, Allbert’s expertise at Soul Reintegration includes “qi gong, breathwork, crystal grid work, nutritional guidance, plant medicine, and sound healing.” However, he does not appear to be certified as a massage professional through the California Massage Therapy Council, which issues licensing for massage therapists and practitioners.
The next hearing in the case is in May at the San Diego Central Courthouse.
