Scientology got its arbitrators, but also wants $107K in sanctions from Valerie Haney

Last week we told you the surprising news that Scientology revealed that two arbitrators are now in place in Valerie Haney’s case, but it is keeping quiet about who those two arbitrators are.

Also, the papers they filed indicated that Scientology is so hopping mad that their longtime nemesis — attorney Graham Berry — has stepped up his involvement with Valerie, the church has asked for sanctions, but we didn’t know yet how much money they were asking for.

Well, now Berry himself has answered the church in a couple of new documents of his own, and they reveal how much Scientology is asking Valerie to fork over in penalties…

$107,832.50

By Xenu’s E-meter, that’s some serious cheddar!

However, this isn’t the first time that Scientology has asked the court to penalize Valerie, and in fact two years ago the church asked for even more — $160,000 in sanctions — but that request was denied by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Richard Burdge.

At that point, Scientology was whining that Valerie had filed a motion for reconsideration, asking Judge Burdge to rethink his decision to force Valerie’s 2019 lawsuit into “religious arbitration.” He denied her motion, but also denied Scientology’s request for sanctions.

This time, Scientology is bellyaching because Graham Berry has increased his participation in the matter and filed a barnburner of a brief a couple of weeks ago pointing out that there was nothing in Scientology’s rules that Valerie couldn’t nominate Tom Cruise or Elisabeth Moss or Shelly Miscavige to be an arbitrator as long as Valerie was being forced into Scientology’s “internal justice” procedure. (Scientology claimed that all three of those nominees were “unavailable” and then complained to the new judge in the case, Judge Gail Killefer, that Valerie was being “obstructionist” by naming such obviously busy and famous Scientologists.)

With Berry’s help, Valerie then doubled down, nominating 15 well-known Scientology figures such as Jenna Elfman, Giovanni Ribisi, and Rebecca Minkoff.

Last week, Scientology revealed that one of those 15 people has actually agreed to serve as an arbitrator, but without naming them. And the church also revealed that last July it had already chosen its own arbitrator for the panel. (According to Scientology’s rules, those two arbitrators will choose a third, and all three must be Scientologists in good standing.)

So with the arbitrating panel nearly set, Scientology should be pleased, right? Well, no. Church attorneys William Forman and Matthew Hinks were spitting fire about Graham Berry getting involved and submitting exhibits they blasted as “improper, unreliable, or inadmissible.” Now we learn that they want Valerie to pay the price for Berry’s involvement with penalties of $107,000 to compensate the church for having to spend time responding to her latest filing.

Berry is not amused.

Putting aside the lack of merit, that is an astonishing fees and costs amount for such a motion and their Submission herein. If that is the amount of excessive fees and costs that Defendants would be charging their clients herein it is blatant fee gouging. Furthermore, Defendants dredge up an unfortunate saga from 25 years ago that also involved evidence of outrageous and even criminal conduct by certain attorneys for the church. One of them, Kendrick Moxon, a declarant in the sanction motions, was an unindicted co-conspirator in what the U.S. Department of Justice’s Sentencing Memo in U.S. v. Hubbard called the largest ever known criminal infiltration of the U.S. government.

You sure you want to go toe-to-toe with Graham Berry on accusations of outrageous behavior, Scientology? This guy has been in the game for more than 30 years!

Anyway, in this latest set of documents, Berry is withdrawing his request that Judge Killefer step in and select arbitrators since those arbitrators seem to have been selected.

But he complains that Scientology has not notified Valerie of who these two arbitrators are that have agreed to serve.

He also agrees with Scientology’s request to set a deadline for completing the arbitration, now that the arbitrating panel is nearly set, and suggests that the deadline be set at tomorrow morning’s hearing.

From our perspective observing Judge Killefer, we have a feeling that she will be so relieved to hear that arbitrators have been chosen, she will tell both sides simply to drop the squabbling and go get the arbitration done. (For that reason, we think there’s little chance she’ll end up awarding sanctions to Scientology, which has asked for a hearing in June on that request.)

So, when will Scientology tell Valerie the names of the Scientologists who have agreed to arbitrate her claims? Who are these church members who will sit in judgment of her allegations that she was kidnapped when she served in Sea Org, and that Scientology harassed and libeled her after she escaped from her indentured servitude by hiding out in the trunk of car in 2016? (These are the allegations in her original 2019 lawsuit, which got derailed.)

We’re looking forward to tomorrow morning’s hearing to see what else we might learn.

 
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Technology Cocktail

“We can do these things: We can accurately and predictably process a day-old baby, a person in a coma, a catatonic schitz, a no-reality case or a person in very good shape. Of course that’s news, but it also changes several things. We can also train well and thoroughly any person of good will in a few weeks of arduous drill. We arrived at a plateau of results and at the same time arrived at a plateau of training skills. Without these skills learned in heavy training, the processing results do not occur. Better than 50’ YO of the result depends upon the skill of the auditor. If this is Scientology today, then it had better be Scientology everywhere, not just here in Washington or amongst recent Academy graduates.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1957

 
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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.

 
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THE PODCAST: How many have you heard?

[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

— The first Danny Masterson trial and beyond

[18] Trial special with Chris Shelton [19] Trial week one [20] Marc Headley on the spy in the hallway [21] Trial week two [22] Trial week three [23] Trial week four [24] Leah Remini on LAPD Corruption [25] Mike Rinder 2022 Thanksgiving Special [26] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part One [27] Jane Doe 4 (Tricia Vessey), Part Two [28] Claire Headley on the trial [29] Tory Christman [30] Bruce Hines on spying [31] Karen de la Carriere [32] Ron Miscavige on Shelly Miscavige [33] Karen de la Carriere on the L’s [34] Mark Bunker on Miscavige hiding [35] Mark Plummer [36] Mark Ebner [37] Karen Pressley [38] Steve Cannane [39] Fredrick Brennan

 
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Source Code

“It was a lovely party. A smashing cake, a lovely present, the Snipes songs and all your happy smiles and applause made it a truly wonderful birthday. (I didn’t know how old I was this life, was sure I was several years younger, until the congratulations and best wishes. I added it up. 60. I still don’t believe it. Are you sure we haven’t skipped some calendar years somewhere?) It was a great day. And I appreciate you more than you will ever know.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 14, 1971

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

HIGHEST EVERS: Thank you for the very happy birthday. I received some lovely presents including a new dining room table and chairs for the A Deck lounge — truly gorgeous. I now hear the Ship’s Rep flew to a nearby area to get some lovely presents for me from MSH. Very appreciated. Both the presents and the flight. Cards, telexes, lovely presents and remembrances. And HGC had a present — 639 w.d. auditing hours! Just by changing its lines and hard work. And the HCI’s FEBC stats are highest ever. The International Gross Income was the HIGHEST EVER! And the Planetary G.I. (not including AOUK, UK, EU, AF or ANZO Orgs) (including only US (Sea Org, Scn) and AOSH DK) hit over a quarter of a million in one week!” — The Commodore, March 14, 1971

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“I’ll be glad when these Grays are exterminated from our Galaxy. We need to apply the Danger Formulae to these S.P.s and secure a safe base. After the dust settles, we can arrange to have those in lower Ethics Conditions given the job of ‘auditing’ them. I, unfortunately, am very familiar with the Gray hatcheries. Most of these are in the Deep Underground Military Bases. They abduct women and children and use them for fertility foods. Most of these ‘hybrid’ babies are used as FOOD, for the Reptilians. The Grays rub their adrenal glands on their skin, as nourishment. And some of these babies are sacrificed to Lucifer, murdered, after being tortured for their adrenochrome. I have heard of some ‘Good Grays,’ mostly from people who allow them to inhabit their bodies during a trance-like state. I don’t buy that there are good Grays. Alliances were made with President Eisenhower, of which he was bound/forced to make a deal, in order to save the greater collective; all the while buying time to wage war against them and defend humanity. Eliminating total suppression must be done in order to save humanity. If you’re of the opinion that there are those that are sweetness and light, then maybe, but I haven’t seen any evidence of any goodness from either the Reptilians or Grays. There’s NO ‘Alliance’ with these baby ‘hatcheries.’ Our Military has been FORCED to have Reality with them, UNTIL they amass enough tech to eradicate them. And that is being done over the past year or so. Trump and the U.S. military has been rescuing these babies, children and others, then bombing the DUMBs.”

 
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Past is Prologue

1996: Gabor Dvornik, a Hungarian BBS operator, has placed the Fishman materials on his system. “I loaded on my BBS the Fishman case, and after 2 weeks, the CO$ phoned me that I have no right making it so. As far as I am concerned, CO$ cannot prove the original OT materials, nowhere, so I believe, they are acting incorrectly. [A]re they right, to ask me to move the materials, or can I keep it for the public? Also, as I read the OT materials, they are so wild, that normal people can think, it’s a sci-fi joke. If CO$ takes me to court, then it will be a precedent in Hungarian lawmaking, not only because of CO$, but the free information-exchange on IN. [A] lawyer-friend of mine told me, that by the means of Hungarian law, you can freely open to public materials, which are: — Court documents, official notes, affidavits, complete materials, IF: the juridical session in itself was opened for public. As I know, the Fishman case was NOT a closed-for-public matter, so I believe, I did not hurt the law — here, in Budapest.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Hey, if chronic drunkenness, drug addiction, and debauchery were good enough for L. Ron, they’re good enough for me!”

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

Criminal prosecutions:

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 November 17 to argue the arbitration motions, awaiting ruling.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Selection of arbitrators underway. Next court hearing: March 15, 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 February 7.
— 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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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] A drone’s eye view of Scientology’s mecca, including Tom Cruise’s penthouse
[TWO years ago] Leah Remini spots Scientology’s best self-own in a long, long time
[THREE years ago] Danny Masterson’s victims speak out in sworn documents in lawsuit against Scientology
[FOUR years ago] David Miscavige presides over Scientology’s holiest annual celebration of L. Ron Hubbard
[FIVE years ago] Lori Hodgson’s fight with Scientology for her kids is now a book you can pre-order
[SIX years ago] Memories of a Scientology warrior: Marty Rathbun’s curious career as church rebel
[SEVEN years ago] Turns out at least FOUR employees sued Pasadena firm that forced Scientology on them
[EIGHT years ago] Outtakes from the 1997 ‘Secret Lives’ doc — an eyewitness at the Jack Parsons house
[NINE years ago] TEXAS JUDGE DENIES SCIENTOLOGY’S ‘ANTI-SLAPP’ MOTION IN RATHBUN SUIT
[TEN years ago] Your Life as Sperm or Egg: L. Ron Hubbard’s Mad Genius
[ELEVEN years ago] In Clearwater for LRH’s 101st Birthday: Tales of Disconnection and Scientology Creepiness

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 14, 2023 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