We received this statement today from attorney Nina Hawkinson on behalf of the plaintiffs suing Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology, who won a huge victory Wednesday in a California appeals court.
The survivors are very grateful for the Court of Appeal’s decision in upholding their fundamental First Amendment Right to Freedom of Religion, and recognizing the long-established precedent that includes their right to leave a religion. While the Court’s opinion provides a small voice for what these women endured, they look forward to their day in court, where they can fully bring to light the circumstances encompassed by the civil and criminal cases, without fear of any further harassment and/or retribution.
In a 39-page ruling, a California appeals court struck down a lower court’s decision that had derailed their lawsuit against the That ’70s Show actor and against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige.
Filed in 2019, the lawsuit is not directed at Masterson over the rape allegations that have him facing 45 years to life in a parallel criminal case, but instead was aimed at Masterson and Scientology over the years of harassment the plaintiffs say they have gone through after coming forward with their allegations to the LAPD in 2016.
Scientology had successfully derailed the suit by arguing that four of the five plaintiffs, who were former Scientology church members, had signed service contracts that obligated them to take any grievance to Scientology’s internal “religious arbitration” rather than to a court of law. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steven Kleifield agreed with that argument and granted Scientology’s motion, forcing the lawsuit into arbitration on December 30, 2020.
The plaintiffs — Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, her husband rocker Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and two women going by the names Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 — asked the appeals court to intervene, but their petition was denied. (A fifth plaintiff, Bobette Riales, was never a Scientologist so her part of the lawsuit was on hold.) They then sent a petition to the California State Supreme Court, which granted review. The same appeals court that had denied their petition the first time held a hearing last November that we watched live here at the Underground Bunker.
Wednesday, that three-justice panel issued its ruling, overturning Kleifield’s order and remanding the case back to his court.
Here again is that ruling.
Bixler v. Masterson by Tony Ortega
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“We have only 476 special terms, most of which mean what they mean in English. That’s right, that’s the whole vocabulary, 474 of these items. I wish elementary physics could say as much. And with only knowledge of 24 of these items and how to handle these items, you can make the blind see. You could also bring the dead back to life. Well, you think I’m kidding. That’s no trick. It’s whether or not they want to be alive that’s the point. I remember one black man that was busy dying and so on, and I looked him over and I, all I had to say was the magic words, you know? He’d been drowned and he hadn’t been drowned very long. It was very easy you know? And I said so-and-so and so-and-so and I found out he was connected with enough woe in life that it was no wonder that he had busily drowned. I just asked his friend who was standing there, ‘This man lead a happy life?’ ‘Oh boss,’ he says, ‘Oh no, no he have an awful time, awful time.’ I said, OK, cart him away.” — L. Ron Hubbard, January 21, 1961
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“Our M.O. Dr. Steve Jarvis has just had a 2 page spread article on Scientology in ‘GP,’ the Medical Doctors’ journal in the UK. It is a splendid article, pointing up Scn’s role in psychosomatic medicine. The magazine asked for an article, three MDs in Scn submitted them. Dr. Jarvis’s article won. Copies will be mailed to all parliaments. Coronet magazine in the US printed an article by me, preceding it with a SMERSH write up. However, the article calmly made nothing of the attack and reader opinion is that it will do us a lot of good. Say, I’m busy as all hell on half a hundred hats. What’s going on with the rest of you cats?” — The Commodore, January 21, 1969
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“I understand the soul types, I understand the soul families, I understand the hierarchies and I also know that a person can spend all eternity searching, multiple eternities, aeons upon aeons, lost… and never restore their Essence. I also comprehend that no amount of auditing the mind makes a scrap of difference to this because the restoration of the essence of the person is found outside the theta/mest construct and all that may be conceived of. Being of Light or Darkness, Adamite or Saturnine, whomever the person actually is, I accompany the person home, all way home and outside all to where the person restores their own divine essence and the person finds they are whole and complete, and completely free. Exit. Gone. So far no-one has left me with a dead body, yet they are well and truly gone for as long as they need to be and tell me they simply return out of compassion and kindness to tell me the story. Its an act of pure love, even for creatures of the dark side, and so now it seem I have free passage to walk the pits of hell as I accompany this type of lost soul home to their divine abodes which are the antithesis of all we know and hold to be sacred and true.”
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1999: Bob Minton announced that Factnet had discovered a Scientology operative working under-cover. “They had unfettered access to information about me and my whereabouts,
Stacy’s inner circle of friends, FACTNet records, Dan Leipold’s office, Graham Berry’s office and other juicy bits of info. Not only that, this plant had worked for the Cult Awareness Network for years and was an intimate friend of Cynthia Kisser, Craig Branch and a number of others active in the counter-cult movement. Her name is Laura Terepin. We hired some PI’s with impeccable credentials to check up on a few points about Laura. Laura lied about living alone in Madison WI. She never mentioned that one of her 3 house mates was a co$ Chicago staff member. Laura cell phones were billed to a Hollywood, CA private investigator who seemingly had at least 13 other phones billed to him that were linked to co$ operatives. Laura’s boyfriend works for the same PI
who handled the phones. And the clincher is that daily calls to OSA in LA showed up on Laura’s phone records.”
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“You’re nothing around here unless you’ve been corrected or admonished by The Proprietor at least once.”
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Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker
Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Next hearing set for February 8. Trial scheduled for August 29.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Last hearing was on January 18, referred to grand jury.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Pretrial conference January 22 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for February 11.
— Joseph ‘Ben’ Barton, Medicare fraud: Pleaded guilty, awaiting sentencing.
Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Eleventh Circuit affirmed ruling granting Scientology’s motion for arbitration. Garcias considering next move.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ US Supreme Court denied Valerie’s petition Oct 4.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Scientology has said it will file an anti-SLAPP motion.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for June 28.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 23. Appeal hearing held Aug 23-27. Awaiting a ruling.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Lawsuit filed by the FTC and state of Georgia in August, now in discovery phase.
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON
We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links, including our four days in Los Angeles covering the preliminary hearing and its ruling, which has Danny facing trial and the potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison.
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 BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. 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] With not guilty plea, Danny Masterson assigned a trial judge his prosecutor knows well
[TWO years ago] Scientology lets Diana Hubbard out of the compound again — what’s the occasion?
[THREE years ago] Scientology sells miracles, and we can’t get enough of them
[FOUR years ago] Scientology front group targets unwitting indigenous people to spread its propaganda
[FIVE years ago] Scientology is still a fraud in France, but it gets some revenge against anti-cult group there
[SIX years ago] When L. Ron Hubbard tried to convince the BBB that Scientology was raking it in
[SEVEN years ago] How Scientology responds to adversity: A classic example from its golden era
[EIGHT years ago] Where is Scientology keeping Barbara Cordova Oliver?
[NINE years ago] Isabella Cruise and Eddie Frencher Reunite After He Leaves Scientology’s “Sea Org”
[TEN years ago] Scientology Viscosity: Commenters of the Week!
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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 2,552 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,057 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,577 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,597 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,488 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,795 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,663 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,437 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,768 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,241 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,557 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,123 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,042 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,210 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,791 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,052 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,088 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,803 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,328 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 683 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,858 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,409 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,558 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,878 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,733 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,852 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,208 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,511 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,617 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,015 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,891 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,474 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 2,969 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,223 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,332 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 21, 2022 at 10:15
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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, 1995-2021 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2021), 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
Tony Ortega at The Daily Beast
