Scientology has responded to the new accusations by Luis and Rocio Garcia that the church has made it impossible for the couple to abide by federal Judge James Whittemore’s order that they take their accusations of fraud to Scientology’s internal arbitration.
Scientology has never conducted an internal arbitration, and Judge Whittemore acknowledged, when he put a stay on the Garcias’ 2013 lawsuit, that there are no actual procedures in place for such an arbitration. But Whittemore agreed with the church’s argument that because arbitration was called for in the contracts the Garcias had signed, that was something he couldn’t meddle in for fear of violating Scientology’s First Amendment religious rights.
The Garcias have come back to court, however, and are trying to convince Judge Whittemore that Scientology has made it impossible for them to even attempt such an arbitration. According to the church and its “International Justice Chief,” Mike Ellis, the Garcias’ complaints will be heard by a three-person panel made up of Scientologists in good standing: One that the Garcias choose, one that the church chooses, and a third chosen by the other two arbitrators. But every time the Garcias have tried to get a list of Scientologists to choose from, or have suggested Scientologists they know for their arbitrator, Scientology has refused to turn over a complete list of names or has dismissed the Garcias’ choices as people not in good standing. The Garcias say the situation is impossible, the church is not serious about conducting an arbitration, and they want Judge Whittemore to lift the stay in the case and re-activate the lawsuit.
Now, Scientology has filed its response, and says, not surprisingly, that it’s the Garcias who are being impossible. The Orange County couple kept suggesting potential arbitrators who were known church defectors, the church says, in an effort to disrupt the proceeding. Initially, for example, the Garcias said they wanted former church member Tony DePhillips to be their arbitrator…
Tony DePhillips is a well-known disaffected former Scientologist. An Internet search reveals that he has been blogging or posting his disaffection with Scientology since at least March 2014. Moreover, Tony DePhillips was at the time of the designation, and presumably still is, a client of Mr. Babbitt, the Garcia’s counsel, who has asserted a Garcia-type claim on his behalf against the Church. Plaintiffs proposed DePhillips for no purpose other than to evoke a response that he was not in good standing with the Church.
In other words, the Garcias be trollin’, the church claims.
In its response, the church is pretty open about what an Orwellian situation the Garcias are in here. Because the Garcias have been declared suppressive (Scientology’s version of excommunication), they aren’t supposed to be approaching current church members about accepting a position as their arbitrator. And if they do, those church members know the rules and won’t respond to them. But the church refuses to turn over a master list of members to choose from, and asks the Garcias to trust Mike Ellis to communicate with current members on their behalf.
This is all described by Scientology as if it were the most normal thing in the world, of course.
Take a look at the document itself. Do you think the Garcias have a shot to convince Judge Whittemore to take over this lawsuit again? Or will he just instruct the Garcias to choose from the limited list of people Mike Ellis is offering them?
Garcia v. Scientology: Response to Motion to Lift Stay
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Virginia congressional candidate visits an org
Virginia conservative congressional candidate Mike Webb suddenly became Internet famous on Monday, and probably not in the way you want to become famous if you’re running for Congress.
In an otherwise forgettable Facebook post, Webb posted a screenshot of his computer, and it showed that he had a couple of tabs open to what were apparently some porn pages. Over the last 48 hours, he’s been putting out some pretty interesting statements about how he reconciles that with his conservative principles. We certainly do give him credit for telling the Daily News, “I don’t think we did anything wrong. Even if I was on a porn site, being a Christian doesn’t mean that you’re perfect.” Well, he has a point there.
But it’s his next move that really caught our attention, thanks to one of our eagle-eyed tipsters. On Monday, Webb posted to his Facebook page a message saying that he’d gone to the Washington DC Scientology org in order to take a personality test.
Oh brother.
Webb is thrilled that the Scientologists who tested him found him to be mentally abnormal (Webb is apparently unaware that the test always finds that you need Scientology counseling). But then this guy is obviously not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Here’s the full text of his message. We gave up trying to understand what he’s getting at. We’d rather hear your reflections on it…
A CHURCH WITHOUT PEWS AND HYMNS
Being a candidate is like becoming a tourist in your own community, and it takes you, if you are willing and a bit daring, outside your zone of comfort, but most politicians prefer to be comfortable, never straying far from that which is familiar. But, a nice sign posted on a sidewalk caught my eye as I was thinking about a Mission Impossible, and I thought, hey, “I’m a Cruiser, too.”
Located right next door to the place where my good alumni friend Meredith Atwell Baker directs the WTIA, wireless association, this restored historical building is home to the Church of Scientology, and I had no idea what to expect when I walked inside to find a receptionist and a gift shop at the door. A nice video on the steps to Happiness awaits anyone with time to review 24 chapters on a road to a better life, and, from the preview that I saw, I did not find much of the advice departing the views of my faith experience, even if those principles were not derived from a theistic origin, but rather a scientific one. So, with eyes wide shut, for a moment, I was one in the spirit with Jerry Maguire.
But, interestingly, the folks inside agreed, to some extent with that assessment, even if I will never be People’s Most Sexiest Man Alive. As one might expect from a candidate or personality in public life, the personality test showed that I was not in the “normal zone” on any measured factor, but but to the farthest extremes. The tester, who had examined ambassadors and corporate executives was fascinated because he had never met anyone who had nothing in “the normal range,” and most of it, to the regret of Robert Kenyon, was not as he had hoped, “not in a good way.” But, for anyone who has ever known me, the results were not really that surprising.
Almost bounding off the scale, the top three qualities of my personality were, in order, Certainty, Activity, and Aggressiveness, the qualities of command,but with Appreciative coming in fourth,which was a surprise to me. Must have been that music appreciation course. Still above “normal limits,”were found Stable, Happy and Composed, rising in score in that order, which was a surprise to me because i would have thought that Happy would have been higher. But, the one concern, again, way off the charts, was the exact thing that i have stated in many candidate forums and to which every woman who I have ever dated will attest: “I have issues.” I have things that I believe, and like George “the determined” Will stated to us last week at AEI, I very certain that my views on these issues are right, which has even been demonstrated in seven hour wave attacks determined “to continue the beatings until morale improves.” So, even though, for just $50, I can take a “get well” course, that bad quality seems to be doing good for me.
I am Mike Webb, and I am running for U.S. Congress. Honest.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on May 18, 2016 at 07:00
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Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information about the book, and our 2015 book tour, can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…
BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts
Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield
