Ten days after Chrissie Carnell Bixler and Cedric Bixler-Zavala had to put down a dog that ate meat laced with rat poison tossed into their Los Angeles yard, another plaintiff in their lawsuit against the Church of Scientology, Bobette Riales, says her dog began a 42-hour ordeal of vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding on January 31 that had her sedating the animal and praying that it would survive at her house in rural Indiana.
“My house looked like a murder scene,” she told us. “My poor dog is still not quite himself, but thank God he’s alive. The vet said he either didn’t injest enough poison to kill him for his size, or his reaction to it was so quick to expel it that it saved him. He’s still not breathing right.”
Bobette says she has no evidence that would point to a person who might have poisoned her dog, but ever since filing the lawsuit against Scientology and actor Danny Masterson last summer, the harassment she’s alleging in the court case has only increased. Vandalism at her home, vandalism to her vehicles, someone following her children after school (which she reported to authorities), and people sitting in cars outside her house, sometimes for as long as nine hours at a time.
Bixler and two other women (known in the lawsuit as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2), came forward to the Los Angeles Police Department in October 2016 with allegations that Masterson, the That ’70s Show actor, had violently raped them in incidents between 2001 and 2004. Riales joined the investigation in 2017 as a fourth rape victim. Last year the four women and Chrissie’s husband Cedric filed their lawsuit, claiming that they’ve been the target of an ongoing harassment campaign by Scientology because the women came forward to the LAPD.
Chrissie, Cedric, and Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 are all former Scientologists, and the church is attempting to derail their lawsuit by claiming that while they were members of the church they signed religious contracts promising not to sue Scientology, and to take all disputes to “religious arbitration.”
Bobette was never a Scientologist and the church can’t attempt that strategy against her. So Scientology and Masterson have each filed “demurrers,” a kind of legal response, arguing that she should be dismissed from the lawsuit because her actions are separate from the other plaintiffs, and because they say her accusations of harassment are frivolous. Scientology characterized them as the kinds of things that are “the price of modern, urban life.”
“Urban life? I’ve lived in 19 countries. I speak three languages. I’m 40 years old. The things I’ve been going through have never happened to me before,” Bobette tells us. “It’s getting worse and worse.”
The last time someone sued the Church of Scientology for a “Fair Game” campaign of harassment, it was 2013 in Texas, and the same day Monique Rathbun filed her lawsuit her attorney Ray Jeffrey applied for and won a temporary restraining order. That court order of protection remained in place while the lawsuit was active. We recently asked Ray if the restraining order was effective, and he said that it was.
On Wednesday, attorneys asked for a protection order on behalf of the Jane Does who filed a lawsuit against Keith Raniere and other Nxivm leaders, just eight days after filing their complaint, asking the court to keep the identities of some of the plaintiffs seeking anonymity to remain hidden.
In the case of Rathbun and the Nxivm plaintiffs, one of the first things their attorneys did was ask for court protection while taking on powerful defendants known for their schemes of retaliation.
But nearly six months after Bixler, Riales and the other women filed their lawsuit against Scientology, there’s been no request with the court for a restraining order to halt the harassment that these women say is ongoing and even increasing.
“The harassment of our children, our animals, my business — I’m a small business owner — I can’t understand why an order of protection wasn’t filed as soon as the lawsuit was filed,” Bobette says.
We’re still waiting for responses to messages we’ve sent to the attorneys representing Bixler and Riales, and that’s one of the things we’d like to ask them, is why the court hasn’t been at least asked for some level of protection for these women while they’re taking on Scientology, an organization that has a reputation for scorched-earth litigation, dirty tricks private investigators, and, yes, even messing with people’s pets.
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“Now be god as an infinite blackness, concentrated upon you, a thetan. Get how all powerful and how out-swelling you are, concentrated upon you, a thetan. Get what your regard for this thetan is. Now be very saintly as you crush its life out, and trap it forever. Oh, be saintly about it. OK. ” — L. Ron Hubbard, February 10, 1954
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“Scientology really has helped me to become the god I am. I think a lot comes down to taking control of that surfboard (your mind) and surfing it into the parallel universe which interests you. If you understand that there’s probably millions of parallel universes and millions of versions of you and me, then this explains how we can always think something then pop into the universe where that is the case. Its like a computer game that’s got so many mission variations already coded on the CD that you can just select with the cursor whatever experience or mission you want and then it will occur. It’s the ultimate game, endless entertainment. We are universe surfing always anyway even if we don’t believe in it, it’s just that people are surfing into parallel universes where they are powerless, where they can’t affect the physical universe, that’s probably why the powers that be keep trying to scare us, they are getting us to go into and stay in the universes where we are powerless.”
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“This idea that we’re going to gently coax these people out of the cult is rubbish. Let’s say there are 15,000 to 30,000 left in the world, do you realize how long this method would take? Your average ‘good’ Scientologist isn’t interested in having a conversation with any wog any more than your average ISIS, Taliban, Al-Qaeda member is interested in having a conversation with an Infidel. A fanatic is a fanatic.”
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Start making your plans…
Head over to the convention website and meet us in St. Louis!
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!
We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.
Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!
Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!
Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] An Austin Powers Scientology party? Sure, anything to get locals to fork over cash
[TWO years ago] Come on, people. Even Star mag’s own article doesn’t claim Tom Cruise has left Scientology.
[THREE years ago] Can a celebrity Scientologist like John Travolta really commit murder under the rules?
[FOUR years ago] On the 8th anniversary of the Anonymous protests, more signs of Scientology’s desperation
[FIVE years ago] ‘You encourage people to leave the Church of Scientology’: The Mike Rinder deposition
[SIX years ago] MEDIA ADVISORY: Stop saying that Scientology is infested with big movie stars already
[SEVEN years ago] Tom Cruise Can Raise the Dead! …And More Scientology Sunday Funnies
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology Waves the White Flag in Texas: The Debbie Cook Interview
[NINE years ago] Inside Scientology’s Labor Camp That Benefits Tom Cruise: The Photos
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 1,844 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,348 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 1,868 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 888 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 779 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,086 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 1,954 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 2,728 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,502 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 2,848 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,414 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,333 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,501 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,082 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,343 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,381 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,094 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,619 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,146 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 5,709 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 2,849 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,169 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,024 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,144 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,499 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 5,802 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 1,908 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,310 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,182 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 1,765 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,260 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,514 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,623 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on February 10, 2020 at 07:00
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Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.
The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2018 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2018), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)
Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | 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 | Shelly Miscavige, 14 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 | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ
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Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele
