Leah Remini: No such thing as Scientology ‘arbitration’ — judges are being duped

 
“I wish people would stop using the word ‘arbitration.’ There is no arbitration in Scientology. There is no such thing at all.”

Leah Remini had some choice words last night about the judges who have accepted the Church of Scientology’s litigation strategy of shutting down lawsuits by forcing ex-members into “religious arbitration.”

It’s happened twice in recent cases and on Monday, a crucial court hearing will once again have a judge deciding whether to accept Scientology’s argument and force ex-members into the church’s internal star chamber. Scientology has asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steven Kleifield to rule that four of the five people suing Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology should be forced to submit to Scientology’s internal arbitration procedures and shut down the lawsuit. The plaintiffs are alleging that they were harassed by Masterson and Scientology after they came forward in 2016 to the LAPD with reports that Masterson had raped them in incidents between 2001 and 2004. Masterson, meanwhile, has been charged in a separate criminal case with raping three of the women who are suing him.

Judge Kleifield will be asked to decide whether even alleged rape victims, suing over harassment which they claim includes the poisoning of their pets, is merely a contract dispute that must be handled by the church internally and that the women have no recourse to sue in a court of law.

In January, another Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Richard Burdge Jr, found for Scientology and iced the lawsuit brought by Valerie Haney, who today works as Leah’s assistant but at one time was Scientology leader David Miscavige’s personal steward and worked in his private quarters. Valerie alleged in her lawsuit that she became a prisoner at the secretive Gold Base because of what she knew about Miscavige, and she only got away from the base by hiding in the trunk of a car. For coming forward on Leah’s A&E series, Valerie was subjected to a fierce and frightening harassment campaign, which was documented by Leah’s show. But even though she was no longer an employee of the church, Valerie was still bound by the contract she had signed, Judge Burdge found. She would have to submit her complaints of kidnapping and stalking not to a court of law, but to Scientology’s own brand of arbitration, which features a panel of arbiters who must all be members of the church in good standing.

But even that is a lie, Leah pointed out in our conversation last night.

“They’re pretending that they have some kind of arbitration, but it is nothing of the sort,” she said, explaining that in court Scientology has admitted that although founder L. Ron Hubbard left behind millions of words on everything from how to staff buildings and recruit celebrities to how to wash windows properly, he never wrote up rules for how to hold an arbitration. So, the church admitted, it was adapting the rules Hubbard had written for a “committee of evidence,” which is something like a court martial.

“Look at the opening words on the page for the committee of evidence,” she told us, directing us to these lines…

“Scientology jurisprudence. The law made up by Scientology,” she said. “These judges haven’t taken the time to actually look at these materials to see that this has nothing to do with what independent arbitrators do. I don’t know how you can call yourself a judge and not actually have done any research in what you’re adjudicating. What the judges in these cases are doing is violating the rights of crime victims. Most of these people who are taking Scientology to court are doing so with the hope that what they have been subjected to will now be rectified by the court and have a just outcome. They are relying on these judges to be fair, to be just and what they are getting is just more injustice and being further traumatized.”

In a committee of evidence — Scientologists call them “comm evs” for short — Scientologists are put on trial for what the organization considers crimes. “Those of us who left Scientology are already ‘guilty’ under Scientology law,” Leah said. “Before we even walk into a comm ev, the committee members who are devout Scientologists are told, ‘this person is an SP,’ a suppressive person. In Scientology, a suppressive person is evil, a Hitler, a Dillinger type, a person who has no rights of any kind and should be destroyed. They will find us all guilty of crimes against Scientology and will then adjudicate that we all need to do more Scientology to save our souls. Period.”

A panel of Scientologists in good standing can’t find otherwise, Leah said. “Those of us who have left are guilty of Scientology crimes for just leaving Scientology. These women are guilty for reporting their rapes to the authorities, they are guilty for speaking out against their abusers. We are all guilty to all Scientologists for standing up for ourselves and others.”

We pointed out to Leah that when Tampa Federal Judge James Whittemore forced Luis and Rocio Garcia into arbitration (their case is on appeal), he said that his hands were tied and that he couldn’t examine Scientology’s rules for its internal justice procedures because it would be a violation of the organization’s religious rights.

“You can’t look at the rules because it’s a religion, and yet you’re forcing people to abide by those rules — because it’s a religion?” Leah scoffed.

“You’re considering the fate of people who have experienced violent crimes like rape and other horrific forms of physical and mental abuse, and on top of this the victims are being Fair Gamed by Scientology and their piece of shit celebrities, who of course defend the abusers, and you want these survivors who survived all of that to submit themselves to more abuse and go into a court of Scientologists? To have Scientology justice applied to them? To then be a victim of Scientology justice? Again? Do these judges even understand what Scientology considers to be crimes? Reporting your rape to the police is a crime in Scientology. Reporting the abuse you received in Scientology to the authorities is a crime in Scientology. So these women will be found guilty by Scientology. And any judge who puts up with this shouldn’t call himself or herself a judge.”

Leah says she has no idea if Judge Kleifield will take greater care in understanding Scientology’s game than did Judges Whittemore or Burdge.

“Scientology is making a mockery of the courts and has a history of doing so. Scientology is playing games with these judges, and the judge in Valerie’s Case looks like a complete asshole. Maybe it’s just time for him to retire. Clearly he is too tired to care for those who depend on him to care,” she said. “It’s that or just plain, utter stupidity — and this is coming from someone with an eighth grade education. Why, you ask? Because I was in a cult that said education wasn’t important. And these are people who are ruling in Valerie’s case? A woman who tried to commit suicide several times in Scientology? Where are her rights?”

Valerie Haney has asked the 2nd California Appellate Court for a writ of mandate in order to appeal Judge Burdge’s decision to force her into religious arbitration.

“Where are all the victims’ advocate organizations? These women are being told they have to go crawling back to their abusers for Scientology justice, and that they can’t have their day in court. I just have to have to hope and pray that justice, real justice will eventually prevail.”

 
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In July the Australian Seven News network cancelled at the last minute a ten-part nightly news in-depth investigation of the Church of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks operations. All ten episodes were leaked to the Internet, and we (temporarily) posted embeds of the video segments and then collected all ten links in one place. Judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.

 
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SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.

 
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Source Code

“I heard about something the other day that made me feel rather bad. I dropped the I-76 or the Imperial Japanese Navy Trans-Pacific Submarine down into the mouth of the Columbia River, dead duck. And it went down with a resounding furor. And that was that. I never thought about it again particularly except to get mad at all the admirals I had to make reports to because of this thing, see? This was one out of 79 separate actions that I had to do with….My dad suddenly sprung on me the fact that my submarine had been causing a tremendous amount of difficulty in the mouth of the Columbia River….It’s got jagged steel sticking out at all ends and angles, and it’s a big submarine! …And the fishermen coming in there and fishing are dragging their nets around in that area, and it’s just tearing their nets to ribbons — they’ve even hired a civilian contractor to try to blow the thing up and get it the devil out of there — and has evidently been raising bob with postwar fishing here for more years than I’d care to count….I was asking my father for the address of the fishermen’s association up there to write them a letter of apology.” — L. Ron Hubbard, October 23, 1956

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“Trump is fighting against the 12 guys that Ron decribed in Ron’s Journal 67. Ron had well spotted these SPs, and as you can see on the planet in the present they are still at work to crash everybody with the Covid, and establishing a worldwide government!”

 
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Past is Prologue
2005: New York Daily News: “Four years ago, Keith Henson, an electrical engineer, was convicted in Riverside County Superior Court of harassing members of the church. Prosecutors pointed to his picketing a Scientology film studio, and a Web chat in which he talked about aiming a ‘Cruise’ missile at the studio. Henson insists he was joking. But after being sentenced to a year in Riverside County’s jail, he says he wasn’t laughing when a law enforcement officer ‘said I was not likely to come out of jail alive.’ Henson fled to Canada. Last April, he tells us, a private eye working for the church tracked him down in Brantford, Ontario, and nearly plowed him down in an alley — just as he claims other private eyes have tried to run him off the road. Denied asylum in Canada, he’s now on the run. This week, he blew through New York. Scientology spokesman Ed Parkin calls Henson’s claims ‘absurd,’ adding, ‘he uses the media to create controversy and deflect attention from his own crimes.'”

 
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Random Howdy

“When they landed on the Moon, the adults in my neighborhood were crying. I couldn’t understand it at the time.”

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Demurrer filed by Masterson, arraignment delayed to November 2.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing is set for October 29 in White Plains, NY.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Next pretrial conference set for Jan 12 in Los Angeles

Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for a writ of mandate filed with Cal 2nd Appellate District, Sept 10.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Oct 26 (motions to compel arbitration)
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Oct 19: Feshbachs still considering further appellate relief.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, awaiting verdict.

Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.

 
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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] Scientologist defendants plead not guilty as Medi-Cal fraud trial scheduled for Nov 21
[TWO years ago] In 1949, psychiatrists wouldn’t touch Dianetics — so L. Ron Hubbard invented one who would
[THREE years ago] Despite Scientology’s best efforts, a Bunker reader attended Saturday’s grand opening
[FOUR years ago] Vote for Xenu! Scientologists are looking to L. Ron Hubbard for advice on the coming election
[FIVE years ago] The technology of ‘ruining’ people: Jefferson Hawkins on Scientology’s opening pitch
[SIX years ago] L. Ron Hubbard explains to a friend the real reason he wrote ‘Dianetics’
[SEVEN years ago] LIVE FROM LOS ANGELES: Summary Judgment Hearing in DeCrescenzo Forced-Abortion Lawsuit
[EIGHT years ago] British Newspaper The Sun Sneaks Reporter into Scientology Annual Gala!
[NINE years ago] Scientology Targeted South Park’s Parker and Stone in Investigation

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on October 23, 2020 at 07:00

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