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Podcast: It’s Scientology’s move in several court cases, and we try to keep it all straight

 
It’s an interesting moment when it comes to the several cases of Scientology litigation that we keep an eye on: Right now, we’re waiting on the edge of our seats for Scientology to make its next move in several big cases.

But we know that it can be very confusing to understand what’s going on in court, especially since some of the cases are similar to each other, and this “arbitration” issue keeps coming up.

So we thought we’d talk it out with someone who’s been helping us keep an eye on things.

Today, we’re releasing the third episode of our podcast to our paid subscribers at Substack. You should receive it presently at your email inbox if you’re on the list.

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Longtime Bunker mainstay Jeffrey Augustine has been attending court hearings as our correspondent recently, so we thought we’d talk over these big cases with him to help our readers understand what a strange and exciting moment it is.

Not a paid subscriber? Well, we have something for you, too. Last week’s episode, with Claire Headley, had her dishing on Tom Cruise in some new ways that really blew us away. And our inaugural episode featured Claire’s husband Marc telling us some great stories about Scientology leader David Miscavige that we had never heard before.

Those first two episodes are free to all of our subscribers, paid and unpaid. All of our podcast episodes can be found here.

And if you’re not a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Go here to sign up for our Substack emails.

 
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Technology Cocktail

“THE TRAIN GOALS: These are given to the being on his first contact with the Marcab Invasion Force in this sector of the universe. Thus the Train GPMs date from hundreds of years ago to hundreds of thousands of years ago. Earlier on the track there are lots of trains such as in the Invisible Picture GPMs. So the mere existence of a train in the implant doesn’t make it the Train Implants. This is established by date. The implanting is done from a huge train station. The announcer, through speakers on the platform, gives continual running fire of wrong dates and directions, and orders to depart and return to this point, and ‘you don’t know when this happened to you.’ A lot of hellos and goodbyes and false information. The being is put in a railway carriage quite like a British railway coach with compartments. Speakers are to the right and left in the compartment. The train is backed up rapidly through eight pairs of stands (eight on either side of the track, sixteen in all.) These spray white energy against the side of the carriage. None of the white energy touches the pc.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1963

 
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Part 3 of ‘Scientology Files’ is up

Says our man in Hungary, Péter Bonyai: “In this episode we will talk to two former Sea Org members about their experiences, the abuses they witnessed and the organizational culture of the Sea Org.”

 

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Source Code

“When you take bodies which have been mocked up and thetans who have been indoctrinated in very definite lines — to fight, to do this, to have certain types of societies; to do this, to do that, to do the other thing — and then they get scooped up from this galaxy and that system and this star and here and there and the other place and are dumped in on one system as unwanted merchandise, you have these tremendous impulses which are at work, one against another. And it works up a lot of heat of friction. You have such a society here at this particular time. This society belongs nominally to the Espinol United Stars. This is Sun 12, and it is one little tiny pinpoint. Their whole title is Espinol United Stars, pardon me, Espinol United Moons, Planets and Asteroids, this part of the Universe is ours, Hup!” — L. Ron Hubbard, July 9, 1963

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“A very warm welcome aboard to Jane Kember The Guardian WW, on behalf of The Commodore, myself, Aides Council, The Captain and all officers and crew of the ‘Apollo’. All who have kept up-to-date with the news and events posted on my board in CIC will know what a great task the Guardian’s Office has performed for Scientology, Scientology Orgs and Scientologists throughout the world. It is an honor and a privilege to have you with us, Jane, and may your stay be most enjoyable.” — With love, Capt Mary Sue Hubbard, July 9, 1970

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

It is interesting how our OT perceptions and knowingness can be invalidated by others who have never experienced the same, or who insist on invalidating anything that is not evidenced in the sciences. Their loss!”

 
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Past is Prologue

1999: Mark Bunker and Bob Minton protested in Clearwater at the Fort Harrison Hotel. “In what surely must be one of the ultimate last-minute fake-outs, Minton and Bunker, who have been leaning towards an L.A. picket all week, showed up tonight in Occupied Clearwater to picket the Ft. Homicide Hotel and document it all for XenuTV. Paul ‘P.K.’ Kellerhals came out at one point to yell at Bob and accuse him of blocking cars from using the drive-up at the front door. His Tone 40 failed to postulate Minton away, so he complained to one of the two polic officers that Scientology had hired for the evening. They found out today that Bob had changed his plans. By the time XenuTV showed up at the Flag Land Base, the Sci-Fi’s had pulled all the shades and shutters at the Ft. Homicide, put up the extra fencing all around the pool and the cabanas, and hired two CPD officers as security. They were apparently unable or unwilling to change the plans for the Friday night graduations, so quite a few Clearwater publics saw the protest as they arrived to celebrate their latest sucker expenditures on the Bridge To Nowhere. It was a peaceful picket, and concluded without incident. The security guys, cameramen, and ‘handlers’ all had very good questions regarding the information on the Internet, and I got the impression that they intend to check out xenu.net, xenu-city.net, and other sites as soon as they can get to a PC with uncensored Internet access.”

 
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Random Howdy

Scientology….the Renaissance Faire meets the ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’.”

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

Criminal prosecutions:
Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Trial scheduled for October 11.
‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Last hearing was on January 18, referred to grand jury. Additional charges also referred to grand jury after January 5 assault while in jail.
Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff’s sentencing to be scheduled.
Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Readiness hearing scheduled for August 22 in Los Angeles

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David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next pretrial conference set for September 19.
Yanti Mike Greene, Scientology private eye accused of contempt of court: Found guilty of criminal and civil contempt.

Civil litigation:
Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Complaint filed April 28 in Tampa federal court.
Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: February 2, 2023.
Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Appellate court removes requirement of arbitration on January 19, case remanded back to Superior Court. Stay in place, next status hearing October 25.
Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for December 6.
Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: New trial ordered after appeals court overturned prior 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.

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.

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] My family followed Scientology from the start, and here’s how I managed to escape
[TWO years ago] Internal LAPD emails show the department’s cozy relationship with Scientology
[THREE years ago] To be fair, we went by a Scientology ‘Ideal Org’ on its biggest day of the week
[FOUR years ago] Scientology’s blatant social media fraud fuels attacks on Leah Remini and Mike Rinder
[FIVE years ago] Scientology trying to salvage its derelict Narconon flagship as new training center
[SIX years ago] Atack: Which of Scientology’s thought-stopping clichés has stayed with you the longest?
[SEVEN years ago] How Scientology’s 1970s infiltration scandal led to the creation of its IAS slush fund
[EIGHT years ago] Jon Atack: The abandoned ideas that L. Ron Hubbard turned into Dianetics
[NINE years ago] Claire Headley Shows Us That in Scientology, You Just Can’t Shout at Ashtrays Enough
[TEN years ago] 10,000 Scientologists Got This E-Mail Today About ‘Disconnection,’ their Church President, and a Mysterious Death
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology Freakout: Commenters of the Week!

 
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Scientology disconnection, a reminder

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 2,720 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,225 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,775 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,765 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,656 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 4,961 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,831 days.
Carol Nyburg has not seen her daughter Nancy in 3,605 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 1,936 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,409 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,725 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,291 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,210 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,378 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 3,958 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,220 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,256 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 2,971 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,496 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 851 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,026 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,577 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,726 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,046 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 8,901 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,020 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,376 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,679 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,785 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,183 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,059 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,642 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,137 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,391 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,500 days.

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Posted by Tony Ortega on July 9, 2022 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

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

 

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