For the second time Jane Doe #1’s real identity has been included in a court document in the lawsuit against Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology. Like last time, it has taken at least a week to fix this error, but this time it was so much worse.
First, because it also included her home IP address, and second because this time it was a mistake made by her own attorneys.
As a preamble to this terrible story, we want to remind you about something that happened in the lawsuit in October.
After Danny Masterson had spent months arguing that the two women suing him under names Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2 should be unmasked, his attorney Andrew Brettler “inadvertently” included the real name of Jane Doe #1 in a court filing.
This was terrifying for Jane Doe #1. She and the other woman using a pseudonym have told us that one of the things they feared most about taking on a powerful public figure and Scientology celebrity like That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson would be their identities becoming known. These women allege that they were violently raped by a man they see as a predator, and backed by a powerful, paranoid, and vindictive organization. It’s quite understandable that they would have some trepidation about seeking a day in court.
You might remember that in our coverage of that October breach of her anonymity, what added to that ordeal for Jane Doe #1 was that it took a full week for the court to fix the problem, and in that time her own attorneys had shown so little effort, not filing a single piece of paper with the court or demanding sanctions against Brettler.
It was a troubling episode, but this new situation has eclipsed it.
On Wednesday morning December 9, we checked the court docket as usual, and we saw that there were two new documents in the file, a brief and a declaration from the attorneys for Jane Doe #1.
They were in response to Scientology’s answer to Judge Steven Kleifield over his questions about Scientology “religious arbitration” and whether it fit with federal law regulating interstate commerce.
We reported on the brief, in which Jane Doe #1’s attorneys argued that Scientology’s criminal behavior toward these former members should not be considered legitimate “commerce,” and that the judge should overrule Scientology’s attempt to deny these plaintiffs a trial.
But it was the declaration filed by Jane Doe’s attorneys that stunned us.
Not only was it filed a day late, it purported to be a document that included a declaration by Jane Doe #1. Instead, the declaration was missing, and in its place there was a signature document that was only partially redacted, and clearly showed Jane Doe #1’s real name, as well as her home IP address.
A day late. The declaration missing. Jane Doe #1’s name clearly visible. And at a moment when Judge Kleifield had stepped in seemingly to save this lawsuit from being derailed by Scientology “religious arbitration” and into the limbo that Valerie Haney is going through.
The incompetence of it shocked us like nothing else we have seen in this lawsuit.
We notified the legal team of the situation. They didn’t respond, and again they seemed slow fixing the problem. Two full days later, on Friday night we got a copy of the minute order signed by Judge Kleifield sealing the errant document and accepting an amended version that now contained the declaration that was supposed to be in there to begin with. And even with that court order, the document containing Jane Doe #1’s name and IP address still remained available on the public court docket, and would for days more.
Also on Friday, Scientology filed an objection, predictably leaping on the errors, criticizing the late filing and the even more tardy declaration, which had been added with the fix.
It’s now more than a week since this all began, and you may be wondering why we have kept quiet about this so long. The reason? That document showing Jane Doe #1’s name remained on the public electronic docket until Wednesday, five days after Judge Kleifield signed an order to have it sealed.
And that wasn’t the only breach that had people scrambling to make changes. Not only did we discover that Jane Doe #1’s name and IP address were visible on a filing, once we checked going back months on similar documents filed by the legal team, we found that the IP addresses of other plaintiffs had been visible as well.
The legal team had been submitting signature pages with an app called Vinesign that for some reason included the IP address of the person signing the document.
The home IP address for Chrissie Carnell Bixler and her husband, rocker Cedrick Bixler-Zavala, was revealed on court documents filed in March, for example.
In the last week, several people have been changing their IP addresses as a result, stunned to learn that their own attorneys had revealed this information about them.
You might not want your home IP address revealed in the course of any litigation. But against the Church of Scientology?
We’ll just remind you that a few years ago a private investigator went to federal prison after he was caught trying to hack the email accounts of Mike Rinder and your proprietor, and the New York Times revealed that this PI had been working for the Church of Scientology.
We’ve been asked how much damage a vindictive and underhanded organization might do with a signature and an IP address. Perhaps some of our technical experts might help answer that question.
Today, Judge Kleifield will hold a hearing and may present his ruling on the arbitration issue. He stunned court watchers by stepping in and asking Scientology to justify its motions for arbitration under the federal concept of “commerce,” an indication that he was inclined to deny their motions and give Chrissie Carnell Bixler and the Jane Does the right to try Scientology and Masterson.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 am Los Angeles time. We’ll get you word of what happens as soon as we can.
[UPDATE: Judge Kleifield took the matter under submission. He made no ruling today after hearing arguments from both sides.]
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“Let’s take the ant kingdom. The ants have been granted beingness. The ants themselves are not a beingness — that is, an independent beingness, such as a thetan. And here we get an oddity; we get an oddity in behavior in terms of ants. You go around and trifle with an ant. As a thetan, you go around and you start pushing around an ant: put a beam through his head, short-circuit out some of the working parts, make him walk in small circles, and you immediately start getting this, the idea that there’s something someplace that is getting awfully mad at you. Funny, isn’t it?” — L. Ron Hubbard, December 18, 1953
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“MISSION ACCOUNTS UK: COMMANDER HANA ELTRINGHAM and FELICE GREEN are very much welcomed back. They did a fine job straightening up accounts at WW, SH and Pubs. As an added bonus they found Pubs was owed about £300,000, nearly 3 times what it owes and that SH was owed over £90,000 and £50,000. SMERSH is noted as active in Edinburgh in the form of our being worked on to make us unpopular. Well, they can try. The Mission did a great and very long job. They are highly commended.” — The Commodore, December 18, 1968
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“Trust me, it might not be this life time, or perhaps the next, but this world WILL have decent, ethical, and legitimate orgs one day. Those that are left behind will eventually catch up. Independent Scientology makes more sense than any of these other superstitious religions. You’re right, we’re losing the war now because of the active suppression going on, but it won’t be forever.”
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2002: The New Zealand Press Association reported that Scientology will be recognized as a tax-exempt charity in New Zealand. “The Church of Scientology will not pay any more income tax after the Inland Revenue Department declared it a charity, the church said today. The IRD said the church was a charitable organization dedicated to the advancement of religion and its income would be tax exempt. The New Zealand branch of the church, started in the United States by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, was founded in Auckland in 1955.”
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“I think it’s safe to say at this point in the proceedings that the reason things are so bad in the unchurch of Scientology aren’t due merely to Miscavige being dumb or incompetent. It’s obvious that he is a purposeful sadist who actively enjoys plotting new ways to torment his captive flock. He’s King Joffery, he’s Ivan the Terrible. He’s freaking nuts.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Masterson’s demurrer denied Oct 19, arraignment delayed to Jan 6.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing delayed for ‘Fatico’ hearing on Jan 19.
— 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 writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 18, re-hearing on motions to compel arbitration; Jan 29, Masterson’s request to stay discovery pending the criminal case
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Nov 18: Feshbachs indicated they will enter into consent judgment to pay the debt.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
Concluded litigation:
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs.
— 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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks
The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.
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.
LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH
An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.
SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z
Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. 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 a weekly series. How many have you read?
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THE WHOLE TRACK
[ONE year ago] Why the IRS will likely do nothing about Mormon and Scientology illegal slush funds
[TWO years ago] Leah Remini asks ‘Where is Shelly’ as the Church of Scientology turns 65!
[THREE years ago] When love triumphs over Scientology: A fairy tale of New York for the holidays
[FOUR years ago] Oh look, Scientology started a blog, and it already won an award
[FIVE years ago] Compton scam rehab clinic definitely a Church of Scientology operation, witnesses say
[SIX years ago] Rick Ross has a new book that will help you get someone out of Scientology
[SEVEN years ago] Happy Birthday, Church of Scientology!
[EIGHT years ago] Joel Sappell Finds Former Scientology Enforcer Marty Rathbun To Be a Reluctant Whistleblower
[NINE years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: In the Sea Org at 18 and on Top of the World!
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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 2,154 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 2,658 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,178 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,198 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,089 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,396 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,264 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,038 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 3,842 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,158 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 11,724 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 7,643 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 3,811 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,392 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 3,653 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 2,691 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,404 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 1,929 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 284 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,459 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,010 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,159 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,479 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,334 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,453 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 1,809 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,112 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,218 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 2,620 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,492 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,075 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,570 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 2,824 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 13,933 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on December 18, 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, 1995-2019 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2019), 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, 15 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
Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…
Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.
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
