The Underground Bunker has learned that an unusual scene played out on a corner in the New York City neighborhood of Soho at about noon yesterday.
Two women who had recently testified in the trial taking place between Crash director Paul Haggis and former publicist Haleigh Breest were walking down a street and were nearing Haggis’s apartment.
They were Haggis’s daughter Alissa and his ex-wife, actress Deborah Rennard. Both have taken the stand to defend Haggis in the civil lawsuit that will feature closing statements today. Breest, 36, is suing Haggis, 69, for allegedly raping her at his Soho apartment after a 2013 movie premiere. Haggis has testified that the encounter was a consensual one, and his attorneys have presented evidence that Haggis, a high-profile Scientology defector, has been the target of Scientology “Fair Game” retaliation campaigns.
On Sunday, we published portions of a deposition of a woman named Shawna Brakefield that was presented in the trial. The deposition suggested that former Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis had encouraged Brakefield to illegally access Screen Actors Guild files to gather blackmail material on Haggis after the director publicly left the church in 2009. And on Monday Leah Remini, the former Scientology celebrity whose A&E series Scientology and the Aftermath won two Emmy awards, testified in the trial by video link, saying that she personally witnessed Davis working with Scientology leader David Miscavige to target Haggis.
Deborah Rennard and Alissa Haggis both testified in the trial as character witnesses for Haggis, saying that the Academy Award-winning screenwriter and director was not the man being portrayed by Breest and four other women who say they were attacked by Haggis in incidents dating back to 1996.
As Rennard and Alissa rounded the corner in front of a restaurant yesterday, they walked by someone they seemed to recognize. As they were trying to figure out where they’d seen him, the man came up to them in an aggressive manner.
He was Tommy Davis, former Scientology spokesman.
Davis told them that he’d been following the trial closely, and that he was unhappy his name had been brought up in it.
To Alissa he reportedly said, “I always protected you and your sisters.”
Davis used a derogatory term about Shawna Brakefield, whose deposition had featured in the trial, and he denied that he would ever encourage someone to commit a felony, which Brakefield had claimed.
We’re told that Davis was animated and raised his voice, and that the two women were left shaken.
That Davis reportedly accosted two women who were witnesses in the trial, and the day before closing arguments were set to begin, seems astonishing.
We emailed Davis, called his phone number, and texted him asking him for comment. We’ll let you know if he gets back to us.
At one point, Rennard asked Davis if he was still in Scientology, and Davis replied that he was. This is consistent with what we reported nine years ago, that in a deposition Davis testified that he was on leave from Scientology’s “Sea Org” but he was still a member of the church.
We’ve been following developments from Davis for many years, and we are often asked about him. The son of Academy Award-nominated actress (and Scientologist) Anne Archer, Davis made quite an impression when he was Scientology’s most visible spokesman from around 2005 to 2011. But besides a spokesman, Davis was also an enforcer for Miscavige, something that has been documented numerous times. In 2011 at the Village Voice, we published a series of secretly taped audio recordings that captured Davis playing the heavy in order to intimidate a Scientologist about facing his family being ripped apart if he didn’t cut off contact with an enemy of the church. (In 2021, we republished that story at our own website.)
Mike Rinder, in his new book A Billion Years, also documents how Tommy Davis was used as an enforcer by Miscavige, notably when the two of them were tasked with following BBC journalist John Sweeney, an operation that resulted in Sweeney having an epic meltdown over Davis’s interference. Davis, as Scientology spokesman, had other notable collisions with such media figures as CNN’s John Roberts and ABC’s Martin Bashir before he finally collided in 2011 with Lawrence Wright of the New Yorker.
That February, the magazine published Wright’s profile of Paul Haggis, “The Apostate,” and we found evidence that Davis had lost his spokesman position soon after that article came out.
Davis turned up in Austin, where his then-wife Jessica Feshbach’s family had some property, and in 2013 Davis testified in the deposition that he was still a Scientologist.
The next year, in 2014, the Davises moved to Los Angeles as Tommy found work at billionaire real estate investor Tom Barrack’s Colony Capital. (Tommy’s father, William Davis, a wealthy real estate investor who died in 2015, was a close friend to Barrack). But then in February 2016 Tommy left his job working for Barrack and became “general manager North America” for Australian billionaire James Packer, helping to run Packer’s Hollywood studio, RatPac Entertainment.
Davis and Packer knew each other from Scientology. Packer had been brought into the church around the year 2001 by his friend Tom Cruise, and according to Steve Cannane’s excellent book on Australian Scientology, Fair Game, Packer left the church around the year 2006. A decade later, he hired Davis to help him run his movie studio. But then 2016 turned into a nightmare year for Packer as he had setbacks to his gambling empire, broke up with fiancée Mariah Carey, and his studio also took a bath on a Ben Affleck flop. Packer ended up bailing out of RatPac, and in that chaos Tommy left his job and went back to work for Barrack as a consultant. In May 2017, Tommy filed for divorce from Jessica, with whom he had two young daughters. Two years later he married Egyptian actress Maie Ibrahim in an elaborate ceremony in Morocco, and they subsequently welcomed a baby boy to the family.
Most recently, Davis was named as a witness in his boss Tom Barrack’s federal trial on illegal lobbying for the United Arab Emirates, a trial that ended in Barrack being acquitted.
Despite that good news for his boss, Davis himself was apparently unnerved by Leah Remini’s testimony in the Haggis trial on Monday.
We’re told that she gave a lot of detail about Davis, and about being in meetings with Davis and David Miscavige after Paul Haggis’s defection in 2009. (Remini herself defected from Scientology in 2013, news we broke at the Underground Bunker.) In her testimony, Remini added much more detail to Tommy Davis’s role in the retaliation campaigns than what Shawna Brakefield had testified to in her deposition.
It was apparently all too much for the former spokesman.
But to accost two witnesses in a ongoing trial on a Soho street? That’s unhinged.
We asked Leah Remini for her thoughts, and she sent us this statement:
It is no shock that professional con man and bully Tommy Davis stalked and brazenly accosted two former Scientologists on a New York City street. Sadly, Tommy Davis remains as mentally unstable and unhinged as when he was kicked out of the sea organization and removed from the ranks of David Miscavige’s private army.
Tommy has a long history of offering a haven to criminals within Scientology. He has bullied, stalked, and harassed victims of Scientology, as well as stalking and harassing non-Scientologists who are considered threats to Scientology and David Miscavige.
Tommy is a slithery PR man, a serial cheater, a pathological liar, a chief enabler of Tom Cruise and David Miscavige, and an obstructer of justice.
Instead of using his time away from the Sea Organization to receive the mental health help he needs, I see that Tommy has chosen to double down on Scientology and David Miscavige. That means he has chosen to side with a totalitarian cult led by a psychopath that inflicts financial, emotional, physical, and psychological devastation on its members.
Tommy will one day regret his decisions when the truth of his criminal conduct is fully revealed.
On another note Tony, I wanted to thank you for your unwavering dedication in your unrelenting reporting on the crimes of Scientology. As an advocate for those without a platform to be heard, I am forever grateful for you.
Today at the Danny Masterson trial
We’re expecting a big day of testimony at the Danny Masterson trial. After finishing up with Det. Esther Myape, the prosecution said it plans to call Jane Doe 4 and then Jane Doe 1’s mother. We’ll be there with our comprehensive reports. And here is the short video message to our subscribers at the end of an eventful day in court. We’re releasing it to everyone this morning, and here’s also the version at our YouTube channel.
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Technology Cocktail
“Energy, whether in the field of thought, emotion, or effort, can be summed into DO. It requires beingness and havingness in order to achieve doingness. Here we have the static of space acting against the kinetic of possession to produce action in the field of thought, emotion, or effort, the various categories of doingness.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1952
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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 as Danny faces a potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison. NOW WITH TRIAL INDEX.
THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?
— The Underground Bunker Podcast
[1] Marc Headley [2] Claire Headley [3] Jeffrey Augustine [4] Bruce Hines [5] Sunny Pereira [6] Pete Griffiths [7] Geoff Levin [8] Patty Moher [9] Marc Headley [10] Jefferson Hawkins [11] Michelle ‘Emma’ Ryan [12] Paulette Cooper [13] Jesse Prince [14] Mark Bunker [15] Jon Atack [16] Mirriam Francis [17] Bruce Hines on MSH
— SPECIAL: The best TV show on Scientology you never got to see
[1] Phil Jones [2] Derek Bloch [3] Carol Nyburg [4] Katrina Reyes [5] Jamie DeWolf
— SPECIAL: Your Proprietor’s updates on the Danny Masterson trial
[1] Sep 21 [2] Sep 28 [3] Oct 4 [4] Oct 10 [5] Oct 11: Day One [6] Oct 12: Day Two [7] Oct 13: Day Three [8] Oct 17: Day Four [9] Oct 18: Day Five [10] Oct 19: Day Six [11] Special interview with Chris Shelton, Oct 19 [12] Oct 20: Day Seven [13] Oct 21: Day Eight [14] First week in review, with Jeffrey Augustine [15] Oct 24: Day Nine [16] Oct 25: Day Ten [17] Oct 27: Day Eleven [18] Oct 28: Day Twelve [19] Second week in review, with Jeffrey Augustine [20] Halloween special [21] Nov 2: Day Thirteen [22] Nov 3: Day Fourteen [23] Nov 4: Day Fifteen [24] Third week in review [25] Nov 5, Saturday special [26] Nov 6, Sunday special [27] Nov 7, Day Sixteen
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“Auditing itself depends to some degree on miracle healing. And the longer you sit back waiting for the process to do it, and the longer you sit back waiting for Ron to do it, the less it’s going to happen. You’re not going to make Clears waiting for something else to do it. You’re going to do it. If you don’t do it — look, who else is there! There’s the pc and he’s been an aberree for the last 15 trillion, squillion years, hasn’t he? He’s been spinning ever since they pulled his last temple down on his head or whatever happened. Well, if he could get out of the bank just at a whoooo, he wouldn’t be your pc, so he can’t do it. And when you’re in an auditing room all by yourself with just the pc, you know, and a couple of chairs or couch or something, you look around real carefully and find out who else in that room is going to do it! Nobody going to do it but you.” — L. Ron Hubbard, November 9, 1959
“THIS PORT: This is a very upstat area and our general relations with the shore are very good. We will be here for 15 days or more, at this or some other dock, as we are getting heat into the tween decks and holds and having some other repairs done. So if you have any extensive work or actions that need doing, now is the time to do them. As the World Health Organization is not all that good in restricting epidemics and although there is nothing particular wrong here, you are warned not to eat fresh fruits without peeling them and fresh uncooked foods ashore. Also do not drink any fresh water that has not been chlorinated.” — The Commodore, November 9, 1971
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“US late night talk show host Jeffrey Daugherty has embarked on a path to deliver ‘White Dianetics’ to the world. I suggest the free Scientology community check out this project and interact appropriately with him. He is someone who is eminently amenable to factual discussion. It would be truly wonderful if someone from the community could come onto his show for an episode of discussing and laying out interesting stuff that could further show his quite open-minded audience what a wonderful technology LRH gifted humanity.”
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1996: Grady reported this week that he has noticed suspicious activity at his house, possibly due to harassment by Scientology. “I’ve noticed an increase in suspicious activity at my house such as multiple hangup calls from what is probably a cell phone (of someone casing the house?) coming at a time and manner that someone might feel would be optimal for an attempted break-in at the house.” Grady also asked Tom Hogan, attorney for Scientology, to step down from their lawsuit since Hogan indicated Grady’s filing of the Swedish NOTS was forged, shortly before the documents were stolen from the Swedish authorities. “Sometime after Hogan said the the ‘Plaintiff believes these are forgeries,’ Scientologists substituted other texts for the ones belonging to the various court and parliament clerks in Sweden. In other words, we have strong, almost incontrovertible proof that RTC is engaged in Obstruction of Justice (a felony) and international conspiracies to commit theft and forgery — and they are committing acts which are provoking an international incident with an ally.”
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“How long did it take for the Shakers to cease to exist? As far as I’m concerned that’s the basic scenario we’re looking at here. The feds aren’t going to do anything about Scientology ever and there’s not going to be any Jonestown event (thank gawd) so what does that leave except a fade out to non-existence?”
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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 began October 11 in Los Angeles.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Arraigned on August 29.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay sentenced to 9 years in prison. Jeff scheduled to be sentenced on Oct 28.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for March 1 in Los Angeles
— 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, Scientology moving to compel arbitration. Plaintiffs filed amended complaint on August 2. Hearing scheduled November 17 to argue the arbitration motions.
— 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 at least through December 13.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Case settled ahead of scheduled Dec 6 trial.
— 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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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] Profs looking at tiny groups of American ‘indies’ miss Scientology’s big issues
[TWO years ago] How Scientology can prove us wrong about L. Ron Hubbard’s ‘sheep-dipped’ valor
[THREE years ago] The Scientology-‘Ancient Aliens’ tie-in we just know you were waiting for
[FOUR years ago] Someone is faking Lawrence Wright emails — and this one is about the Underground Bunker
[FIVE years ago] French-kissing Wilt Chamberlain: Adventures of a teenager in the skeezy world of Scientology
[SIX years ago] How a new independent ‘church’ is trying to wrestle away control over the word ‘Scientology’
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology on the high seas: When L. Ron Hubbard was still making tech ‘breakthroughs’
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology Sunday Funnies: Kirstie Alley is now Super Powered!
[NINE years ago] Luis Garcia Responds to Scientology’s Arbitration Scheme
[TEN years ago] SHOCKER: Court Punishes Scientology For Acting Like…Scientology
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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 2,843 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 3,348 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 2,898 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 1,888 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 1,779 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,084 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 2,954 days.
Doug Kramer has not seen his parents Linda and Norm in 2,059 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 4,532 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 3,848 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 12,414 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 8,333 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 4,501 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,081 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 4,343 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 3,379 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,094 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 2,659 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 974 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 2,149 days.
Joe Reaiche has not seen his daughter Alanna Masterson in 6,700 days
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 3,831 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 4,169 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,024 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 4,143 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 2,499 days.
Mike Rinder has not seen his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in 6,802 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 2,908 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 3,306 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 3,182 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 2,765 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 3,260 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 3,514 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 14,623 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on November 9, 2022 at 09:00
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
