Tommy Davis accosted her in the street. Now Deb Rennard has another fight on her hands.

One of the strangest things to come out of the Paul Haggis trial in New York last year was a scene that played out the day before closing arguments took place.

Haggis’s daughter Alissa and his ex-wife actress Deborah Rennard — who had both testified as witnesses in the trial — were accosted by former Scientology spokesman Tommy Davis, who confronted them on a Soho street corner not far from Haggis’s apartment.

Davis had apparently lost his temper after he was the subject of intense testimony in the trial which portrayed him digging up dirt on Haggis on behalf of the Church of Scientology.

We were told that Davis was animated and raised his voice, and that the two women were left shaken.

Although Rennard and Haggis had divorced in 2016, a year before former publicist Haleigh Breest filed her lawsuit alleging that Haggis had raped her, Rennard had been very vocal in her support of Haggis, and testified on his behalf as a character witness.

With the help of testimony by four other women who all testified that they had been assaulted by Haggis, Breest won her lawsuit and the Crash director was saddled with a $10 million settlement. He is appealing the decision.

In the meantime, Breest’s lawyers are aggressively going after Haggis’s assets in order to fulfill the judgment, which is not surprising. But now Deborah Rennard has come to court objecting that Breest’s legal team is also targeting her own funds and she’s not happy about it.

She’s objecting to a subpoena served on her in February which informed her that her assets would be restrained, including “any and all distributions of funds in your possession and/or control which you collected, as a recipient of alimony or under a divorce agreement or settlement.”

In response, Rennard has filed a lengthy affidavit explaining why her money is her own and should not be within Breest’s grasp, and also including detailed documents, including her 2016 divorce settlement.

In particular, Breest’s lawyers are complaining about a West Broadway property that Haggis sold in 2019 for $5.5 million, the proceeds of which were turned over to Rennard. Breest’s lawyers appear to be accusing the two of trying to hide Haggis’s assets as the litigation was ongoing.

In her affidavit, Rennard says that this accusation is based on bad information because the Breest legal team didn’t have a copy of the divorce settlement. She explains that when they divorced in 2016, their agreement included $20,000 a month in alimony, and that they expected to sell the West Broadway property (and another on Mercer Street) and split the proceeds. But by 2018, after Haggis had been sued and was unable to work, he was unable to continue the alimony payments. So they modified their agreement in 2019, this time granting her the proceeds in the sale of the West Broadway property in order to satisfy the payments she wasn’t receiving.

Any money she has at this point is her own and not Haggis’s, she says, and she’s asking the court to declare the subpoena invalid.

“My counsel and I made the foregoing clear to Plaintiff and her counsel, yet Plaintiff and her counsel still refuse to voluntarily lift the restraints, forcing me to incur legal fees and expenses, and aggravation, as a result of their unfounded position.”

On Monday, the Breest legal team fired back, saying that the 2019 modification — which came after the litigation had started — just looks suspicious.

In short, the circumstances surrounding the transfers of millions of dollars in assets from Haggis to Rennard that would otherwise be available to Breest to collect on her Judgment are far from ordinary, and raise the specter of potentially fraudulent conveyances.

Judge Sabrina Kraus issued an order on Tuesday setting dates for submissions on both sides and moving Rennard’s motion back to May 9. Rennard’s attorney yesterday pleaded with the court about what an imposition this is…

The length of the adjournment is highly prejudicial to Ms. Rennard. As explained in her moving papers, Plaintiff’s Restraining Notice does not restrain property in which the Judgment Debtor has an interest, but rather purports to restrain all spousal support (alimony) payments received by Ms. Rennard since January 1, 2016 (years before this action was filed)… This money is the primary source of Ms. Rennard’s income that she uses for her living expenses. A lengthy delay in determining Ms. Rennard’s motion would be highly prejudicial to Ms. Rennard and would cause her additional irreparable harm.

But later in the day Breest’s firm fired back that this was just a ploy to get Rennard out of a deposition.

Wow, that’s a lot of shots fired back and forth. We’ll keep an eye on the docket to see how Judge Sabrina Kraus rules on the matter.

 
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Technology Cocktail

“I have lectured on writing to Harvard university students many times, and they have asked me how one develops style. Personally, as far as style was concerned, all one had to do was express what he wanted to say and that was style. It is no more complicated than this and sometimes, just for gags, why, write in the valence of Shakespeare or other literary figure. I have said to these students, ‘Style — well, I can tell you how you would find out whether you had a style or not, or how to develop one. Just sit down and write a hundred thousand words.’ The class fainted.” — 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

“I had a number of US Senators interested in this. As a matter of fact I had the senate dining room one day — I had lots of friends down there in those days, still would have if I went down and stuck my nose in. Every time I do, why they all say, ‘Hey, Ron! Where the hell have you been?’ you know. ‘What’s the matter, you mad at me?’ Something like that. I’d say, ‘Oh, I’ve been busy.’ And I had the senate dining room down there one noon, I remember, along about this period [in 1950]. And you could have heard a toothpick fall from one end of it to the other….I was telling them somebody had found the dynamic principle of existence and I was telling people what it was and so forth. And that place was jammed from one corner to the other with senators and so forth. The next thing you know the table outside of the perimeter of the table I was sitting at with three or four old senators and the table outside that went silent and the table outside that went silent and the table outside that went silent and the next thing you know there wasn’t anything happening in that dining room. The waiters were standing there, see. Darnedest thing you ever wanted to see, you know! And I said, ‘Gee!’ I said, ‘I’ve got a bear by the tail here, you know.’ That was actually before anything much had occurred. They had never heard of this book or anything.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 16, 1965

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“The Apollo is to be in all respects ready for the sea and all port cycles closed by 5:00 PM 18 Mar 69. The civil ‘Nomarch’ of Corfu on irregular lines verbally has ordered our departure in 24 hours despite any unreadiness and without concluding our gyro or safety inspection. We have been given no reason. There may be a connection with the visit of US vessels last week which had a report via their naval attache that we made troops desert. There is no damage really as the AOSH Greece had not really opened and is being reopened at once in Denmark. The situation is under control. There is no danger.” — The Commodore, March 16, 1969

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“According to Capt. Bill Robertson, Planet Earth is in the process of being introduced again to the intergalactic community. In order to do that a World Government is needed. The model for the New Civilization and World Government planned for this planet (according to Hubbard and Bill Robertson) is the old Galactic Confederacy of which Earth was a part. Hubbard gave the name of the planets in that old Galactic Confederacy in his movie script ‘Revolt in the Stars.’ Galactic Confederation member stars: Sirius, Canopus, Alpha Centauri, Vega, Capella, Arcturus, Rigel, Procyon, Achernar, Beta Centauri, Altair, Betelgeuse, Acrux, Aldebaran, Pollux, Spica, Antares, Fomalhaut, Deneb, Regulus, and Sol.”

 
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Past is Prologue

1998: Andreas Heldal-Lund reported that Scientology’s lawyers have contacted him regarding copyrighted documents on the web. “Today my lawyer in Oslo had a meeting with the lawyers Kendrick L. Moxon and William M. Hart from USA, and Kjersti Dorstad and Lars Erik Alfheim from the cult’s Norwegian law firm. My lawyer made it absolutely clear that both of us would continue our fight against their cult until they were thrown out of Norway. The impression was that the cult wanted to settle this out of court. My lawyer gave them my statement that I hosted none of the claimed secret scriptures on my web pages, only quotes well within the right of fair use. The cult lawyers said this was not true and has now presented a list of files they wanted me to remove. Problem is; this account is not mine! They’ve wasted a trip to Norway, a meeting with 5 lawyers – ON THE BASES OF AN ERROR!!!!!! I don’t think Moxon liked the fact that my lawyer did all this pro bono, knowing that he is dedicated to fight them at any cost.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Before today I considered Miscavige a cynical manipulating sociopath, and they’re a dime a dozen. Now he seems to be more the dangerously insane Idi Amin-style dictator. This doesn’t bode well for the future.”

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Mistrial declared November 30. Retrial scheduled, jury selection begins March 29. Next pretrial hearing: Feb 16.
— ‘Lafayette Ronald Hubbard’ (a/k/a Justin Craig), aggravated assault, plus drug charges: Grand jury indictments include charges from an assault while in custody. Next pretrial hearing Feb 13.
— Rizza Islam, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for March 1 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Next status conference Feb 13.

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] Judge denies Valerie Haney do-over after Scientology’s appellate loss in Masterson suit
[TWO years ago] Scientology goes after Mike Rinder with a document he gave only to Marty Rathbun
[THREE years ago] To help us get through the pandemic, L. Ron Hubbard’s words of Scientology wisdom
[FOUR years ago] Miss America organization says it’s looking into Scientology’s use of Miss New York
[FIVE years ago] Hey, IRS: You might want to look at this new photo Scientology posted of David Miscavige
[SIX years ago] Understanding Marty Rathbun: For the first time, his full deposition of 2014
[SEVEN years ago] Ron Miscavige book out in May: ‘Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me’
[EIGHT years ago] Mareka Brousseau on the degradations of Scientology’s Sea Org life
[NINE years ago] With Scientology’s ‘disconnection’ policy finally hitting the mainstream, here’s more to consider
[TEN years ago] Xenu the The Movie Star! When Scientology Almost Revealed Its Secrets on the Big Screen
[ELEVEN years ago] Scientology on the High Seas: Hubbard Claims Victory Over the U.S. Navy

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on March 16, 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