Scientology is still reeling over a disastrous appellate court ruling that knocked down its “arbitration” gambit, which had derailed three lawsuits brought by former church members. One of those lawsuits was filed by Danny Masterson’s rape accusers, who allege a harassment campaign against them by Danny and Scientology since they came forward to the LAPD in 2016.
Scientology had successfully convinced a Los Angeles Superior Court judge that the lawsuit should be kicked out of court in favor of Scientology’s own brand of “religious arbitration” based on contracts the accusers had signed while they were still members of the church. But in January, an appeals court handed down a stunning decision to revive the lawsuit, saying that since the harm these women alleged occurred long after they had left Scientology, they weren’t subject to the contractual obligations.
In one of the more bizarre twists in the case, Danny Masterson had indicated that he intended to take part in whatever arbitration occurred, even though a protective order in the criminal case against him prevents him from being anywhere near these women. The criminal case is entirely separate from the harassment lawsuit, but its potential outcomes are far more serious: He’s looking at 45 years to life in prison if he’s convicted at the criminal trial, which is scheduled to begin August 29.
In the civil suit, Danny has now joined Scientology in petitioning the California State Supreme Court to grant review of the appeals court ruling: It turns out that Scientology and Danny both don’t like that the arbitration strategy has failed.
Also, Danny’s famous civil attorney Andrew Brettler, who has also represented the likes of Prince Andrew and Armie Hammer against claims of sexual assault, told the California Supreme Court that because his office was still transitioning from the pandemic to in-office work, it unintentionally blew the deadline to join with Scientology in the petition, and asked the court for permission to file.
Well, better late than never, we guess. And once again, Danny Masterson’s close relationship with Scientology in both the civil and criminal cases is on full view.
Some of our recent coverage in the cases:
March 6: Never before published: Jane Doe 1’s plea to Scientology to report rape by Danny Masterson
March 1: Scientology asks California Supreme Court to review its defeat on ‘religious arbitration’
Feb 26: In Danny Masterson rape case, Scientology tried to put LA court through ‘Truth Rundown’
Feb 16: SCIENTOLOGY DENIED: Appeals court refuses to rehear arbitration ruling in Masterson case
Feb 8: Scientology intervenes at Danny Masterson hearing, judge refuses to dismiss rape charges
Feb 8: Danny Masterson’s ‘Dream Team’ lawyer angers ‘Aftermath’ producers with repeat subpoenas
Feb 7: Scientology will be central in tomorrow’s Danny Masterson rape case hearing
Jan 19: SCIENTOLOGY ARBITRATION DENIED: Appeals court revives lawsuit by Masterson accusers
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Leah Remini podcast: Your proprietor
Says Mike: “We welcome our old friend Tony Ortega back to the Fair Game podcast to talk about the current state of Scientology, their ongoing financial crimes and the devastation COVID 19 has wrought on their information control. Tony is a gold mine of information about the cult, and our chat was no exception.” Listen to the episode right here!
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Did you know you can get an email every morning when we post our daily Scientology story? We know some of the folks who come to the Underground Bunker aren’t here to talk about the politics of the day, and that’s why we created a daily politics feature over at our other blog, The Lowdown, and we ask readers to take their political discussions over there. And if you drop us a line at tonyo94 AT gmail, we’ll put you on the list so you get a morning reminder that a new Scientology story has been posted — and only for our Scientology stories.
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Christ bore the burdens of all man and the world, didn’t he? So, if a person keeps on offending, offending, offending against the seventh dynamic, he will eventually offend so wrongly and so widely and broadly that his only solution to it is to wind up as Christ. This isn’t saying that’s the route that Christ went although some of the lost books of the Bible tell you how he spent his early youth using his powers to destroy those around him. You may not be aware of these early accounts. There’s one story, in these lost books of the Bible, about his blinding a playmate merely by telling him to go blind.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 8, 1952
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“THE RUMOURS: The landing ships out in the harbour ‘briefed’ their men on how this ship was out of bounds as ‘full of draft dodgers, marijuana smokers, free love, hypnotism,’ said to have been briefed by their ‘upper echelon.’ We are sending Ensign Dunleavy and a boat out (the sea sled) to call on their senior captain to get it handled. Their men are upsetting the Greeks also. We’ll take care of it. Captains in the US Navy who ‘can’t handle their men’ (the one thing Admirals in the US go bonkers about) are seldom promoted any more. We hold all the aces. We’ll handle it on the lower echelon level and run it back to some psychiatrist they’ve got aboard, I’m sure. Poor old SMERSH.” — The Commodore, March 8, 1969
“A few have said that they communicate with LRH telepathically, but none that I have found credible. I suspect that he did bypass a lot of charge and that he needs time to recover. I expect to meet him again one day but it might be a while.”
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1996: The planned protest at the Flag Land Base in Clearwater was accomplished to considerable media attention. Despite Andrew Milne and Woody’s descriptions of the event as a failure, one radio station, four TV stations and two newspapers provided advance coverage, footage of the picket itself, and some the subsequent press conference. “Radio show on WMNF. Jeff Jacobsen, Dennis Erlich (by phone), Jeff Lee spoke about Dennis’ experiences and the reasons for the picket. When the host took calls, the person on the line was Brian Anderson, the DSA for the area. Notable occurrences: Anderson claimed that the ‘The law may be used very easily to harass…’ had never been a part of church policy, and when the host started questioning him about Dennis being locked in the basement of the Fort Harrison Hotel, he even claimed that there was no basement in the hotel.”
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“I’d bet the farm that this isn’t the end of the battle for the mind of poor Suri. This was only round one. Things will get ugly, real ugly, further down the road.”
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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 pretrial conference May 31. 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 March 25 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for April 8.
— Joseph ‘Ben’ Barton, Medicare fraud: Pleaded guilty, awaiting sentencing.
— Yanti Mike Greene, Scientology private eye accused of contempt of court: Hearing held on February 15, awaiting ruling.
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.’ Valerie asks for March 15 hearing on motion for reconsideration.
— 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. 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] SHELLY MISCAVIGE ON VIDEO: Never-before-seen footage from before her disappearance
[TWO years ago] Forcing Scientology ‘arbitration’ on rape victims would be US courts imposing religion
[THREE years ago] Can Scientology be tripped up by consumer protection? You must hear this pitch.
[FOUR years ago] While in hiding, Scientology’s L. Ron Hubbard sent advice to newly elected Ronald Reagan
[FIVE years ago] Danny Masterson: Victim C gets support from a veteran actress, but will LAPD answer the call?
[SIX years ago] BACK ON: Scientology ‘disconnection’ billboard OK’d by competitor after Outfront Media bails
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology really, really, really doesn’t want you to see this movie
[EIGHT years ago] Jon Atack: Why it takes so long to recover from Scientology
[NINE years ago] Scientology Targets Aussie Kindergartners, Swedish Grade Schoolers
[TEN years ago] Scientology + Nation of Islam Charter School to be Exorcised from the Earth Forever and Ever
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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 2,597 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,102 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,622 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,642 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,533 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,840 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,708 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,482 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,813 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,286 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,602 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,168 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,087 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,255 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,836 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,097 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,133 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,848 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,373 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 728 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 1,903 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,454 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,603 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 3,923 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,778 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 3,897 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,253 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,556 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,662 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,060 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 2,936 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,519 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,014 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,268 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,377 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 8, 2022 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, 1995-2021 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
