Riffer madness: Scientology in a tizzy days before next week’s hearing in Masterson suit

It’s another Jeffrey Riffer court filing! Oh, we live for angry lawyer letters and court briefs from the pen of Jeffrey Riffer, who works as Scientology leader David Miscavige’s personal legal attack dog.

At issue is next week’s big hearing in the lawsuit filed against Scientology, Miscavige, and Scientologist actor Danny Masterson by four women who say the defendants have subjected them to a coordinated harassment campaign since they came forward to the LAPD in 2016 with allegations that Masterson had violently raped them in incidents between 2001 and 2004.

Those are some pretty serious allegations, but of course Scientology has attempted to turn the lawsuit into a morass of technicalities and bellyaching, pretending that the attorneys for Chrissie Bixler and the other women have committed the gravest of misdeeds and insults to the court and to the legal profession in general.

We needed smelling salts, we were so near fainting over the evil deeds perpetrated by these dastardly and lawless ne’er-do-wells, at least as they are portrayed by that master of outrage-for-hire, Mr. Riffer.

What’s the fuss? Well, on March 11 there’s going to be a hearing that will deal with a couple of different issues. On the one hand, the out-of-state and high-profile attorneys who formulated this legal attack on Scientology are hoping to be formally admitted to the case, and we’ve already seen the overheated objections that Scientology has made to what should be a mere formality.

But also at stake on March 11 are Scientology’s various motions to quash service of the lawsuit, claiming that Bixler’s attorneys made “fraudulent” attempts to serve the lawsuit on Miscavige and the church. They’ve zeroed in on a hired process server, claiming that he lied about when he attempted service, and keep insisting that they have video evidence and hundreds of pages of corroborating testimony from Scientology lifers to back it up.

But we hope that Judge Steven Kleifield is able to take a step back and look at the ludicrous nature of this situation: Miscavige and his attorneys are arguing that he hasn’t been properly notified that this lawsuit exists, by filing complex and lengthy documents about how unaware of it he is.

It’s so stupid, we don’t even know how the judge puts up with this kind of thing. Will he give Scientology the time of day on this stuff? We will soon find out, at Wednesday’s court showdown.

Here’s Riffer’s latest work. We hope you find his outrage as entertaining as we do…

Bixler v. Scientology: Misc… by Tony Ortega on Scribd

 
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A word from the Proprietor

We feel compelled to speak up after a ludicrous attack on Gerry Armstrong appeared online yesterday. It’s not worth reading if you haven’t already discovered it. Its chief infraction is that it tries to reduce Gerry’s extremely complicated legal saga to a simplistic and misguided charge that Gerry deserved being nearly destroyed by Scientology because he agreed to take some money in the Michael Flynn super-settlement of several different lawsuits in 1986.

The truth is far more complex than what the piece pretends, and what Gerry endured at the hands of Scientology’s dirty legal maneuvering is almost too much to believe. Why was the Church of Scientology so motivated to destroy Gerry? Because he had single-handedly saved from destruction an incredible trove of original L. Ron Hubbard documents that would go on to form the backbone of nearly every subsequent serious examination of Scientology history, from Russell Miller’s “Bare-Faced Messiah” to Lawrence Wright’s “Going Clear.”

In 2013, with help from Jon Atack and Gerry himself, we spent several days going through that complex set of facts in order to produce a two-part series (part 1, part 2), attempting to explain what Gerry had been through. Here is Jon’s conclusion from that work:

I personally think that Gerry has outdone Hercules, in terms of his labours, and deserves both credit and support for his courageous stand. Gerry could have simply shut up, and kept the truth to himself. I’ve known him for almost thirty years, and I can assure his critics that his stand is entirely unselfish: there is no advantage to Gerry in any of this. He simply could not remain silent, and has vowed to respond, until the cult abandons the practice of fair game. In closing, it is worth pointing out that the cult has signally failed to keep its own part of the contract and maintained its espionage and harassment tactics against an innocent and good-hearted man.

We are reminding readers of this today even though in recent years we have come under pretty steady attack from Gerry’s pen. He seems to have little regard for this website or for our work in general. It’s disappointing to us that he has taken this line, but whatever our feelings about it, we think it’s wrong in the extreme for anyone to mischaracterize the incredible journey of sacrifice that Gerry has been through at the hands of Scientology. When we see his ordeal being minimized and ridiculed, we feel a responsibility to say something.

— The Proprietor

 
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Source Code

“Always had a lot of fun riding motorcycles, it’s something I shouldn’t do, not in America. Motorcycles are ridden by delivery boys. They’re ridden by admirals and members of parliament over in England so I always have to ride motorcycles with an English accent anyway, to keep up my social caste, you know, it’s very important.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 6, 1957

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“I have a vision of an OT (very far advanced of course, nothing like seen here so far) being so cause over banks that this is actually how a planet or universe gets cleared — not one by one that’s a joke — but by being so damn Cause, so damn Big, so damn encompassing and pervasive, that all the negative frequencies and images are transmuted to theta/Light.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Hubbard was definitely trolling people on some level. You can see it in that cartoon lupine grin he was always sporting.”

 
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Jay Spina: Sentencing set for April 3 in White Plains
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members: Trial set for April 14 in Los Angeles

Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Waiting for an appellate decision from the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ (Valerie’s options.)
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology: March 11 (plaintiff attorneys pro hac vice, defense motions to quash), March 20 (demurrers by Masterson and Scientology), March 27 (motions to compel arbitration)
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe’s attorneys have asked for discovery, April 20 hearing set (motion to compel arbitration)
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach bankruptcy appeal: Oral arguments on March 11 in Jacksonville
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Complaint filed.

 
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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] When Scientology’s ‘disconnection’ is forever, and other developments
[TWO years ago] What Scientology TV should be about — but won’t dare to put on the air
[THREE years ago] Scientology caught in a lie to federal court — but will the judge care?
[FOUR years ago] Scientology snags a TV news host, and other social media finds around the world
[FIVE years ago] Scientology posts the (nearly) full deposition of reclusive ‘Justice Chief’ Mike Ellis
[SIX years ago] Scientology gets the ‘America’s Book of Secrets’ treatment soon!
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology Response to Federal Lawsuit: Force The Garcias to Use Church Arbitration
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology, Deposed? Debbie Cook Goes on the Offensive

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 6, 2020 at 07:00

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