Scientology’s response to Whitney Mills lawsuit is to lie about suicide instruction

 
TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: Scientology issued an angry response to news about the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the mother of Whitney Mills, the OT 8 Scientologist who died tragically in 2022. We asked Claire Headley about the church’s insistence that it doesn’t have a ‘drop the body’ instruction. [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]

 
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Technology Cocktail

“Through a slight change of procedure on certain preclears I have been able to view the underlying motives and mechanisms of psychosis. Very possibly this is the first time the mechanisms which bring about insanity have been fully viewed. I must say that it requires a bit of confronting. The alleviation of the condition of insanity has also been accomplished now and the footnote in Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health concerning future research into this field can be considered fulfilled.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1970

 
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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 [40] Clarissa Adams [41] Louise Shekter [42] John Sweeney [43] Tory Christman [44] Kate Bornstein [45] Christian Stolte [46] Mark Bunker [47] Jon Atack [48] Luke Y. Thompson [49] Mark Ebner [50] Bruce Hines [51] Spanky Taylor and Karen Pressley [51] Geoff and Robbie Levin [52] Sands Hall [53] Jonny Jacobsen [54] Sandy Holeman [55] Mark Bunker [56] Trish and Liz Conley [57] Trish Conley [58] Alex Barnes-Ross [59] Alex Barnes-Ross [60] Alex Barnes-Ross [61] Alex Barnes-Ross [62] Alex Barnes-Ross [63] Alex Barnes-Ross [64] Tory Christman [65] Tammy Synovec [66] Dennis Erlich [67] Alex Barnes-Ross [68] Valerie Ross [69] Kat in Austin [70] Mark Bunker [71] Phil Jones

 
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Source Code

“As you look back over the whole track, you’ll find that you’ve been going on a rolly-coaster. You’ve spent some time in a meat body and then the next thing you know, why, there you were, Operating Thetan, see. And then for a while, why, you’re pushing a doll body around or something like that and then boom: why, you’re Operating Thetan. And then you push a meat body around for a while, and then spend a few million or trillion years in a trap or something like that and then you come out the other end of it. And suddenly and mysteriously, why, there you are chucking planets around, or something like this, you see. This is all very difficult for a person to reconcile. And it’s ‘What am I doing? What am I doing?’ Being up, being down, being up, being down. There isn’t one of you who hasn’t been in meat bodies on the whole track many many times. Many times and places, you see. And, who didn’t succeed this action by being an OT, you see. Quite interesting.” — L. Ron Hubbard, June 20, 1963

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“POSTULATE CHECKS: Postulate Checks turn out to be just a new way to get service without paying for it and ARC Breaking the field. We are looking for who started this off pol nonsense. The real boom was burst by it — but is coming along fine despite this interruption.” — The Commodore, June 20, 1971

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“There is no standard among freezone auditors as to what they charge for services. It is totally up to them. It is a free market. If you don’t like the prices an auditor charges you are free to find another auditor. And it should be noted here that every Independent Auditor or group charges a great deal less than the Church does. No auditor should be faulted for what he decides to charge his clients. As an aside, but I think interestilng, is one time back in the years when $200 a month was a teacher’s salary, L. Ron Hubbard was getting too many people who wanted his personal services. To handle it he raised his prices to $500 an hour for personal auditing! I don’t know what the average school teacher makes today, but consider this was like 2 1/2 times a month’s salary!”

Past is Prologue

1998: NBC’s news program Dateline aired a story this week on Bob Minton, a critic of Scientology who is funding a variety of cases and opponents of the cult. From a transcript of the show: “BOB MINTON: The more I got involved, the more frightening the organization as a whole became to me. JOHN HOCKENBERRY: Are you nuts? MINTON: A lot of people would question my insanity on that score. HOCKENBERRY: Do you have any evidence that they’re really evil and destructive? MINTON: Yes. Shattered lives, broken families, mental fragility. VO: Minton has funded lawsuits, rescued an anti-cult organization, given weary defendants and broken-down activists the means to fight on. To date, he’s handed out more than 1.7 million of his own dollars to some of Scientology’s harshest critics HOCKENBERRY: That’s a lot of money. MINTON: It is. But keep in mind that in this, in this battle with Scientology, I’m the little guy. Scientology are the big guys. VO: Vaughn Young and his wife, Stacy, left the church in 1989, embittered by their experience and determined to start a new life. They rented a house in Seattle and opened a sanctuary for abandoned cats and dogs. But a few years later, the Youngs decided to go public, criticizing the church as a dangerous cult. And they provoked what they say was an all out assault by the church to destroy their lives. STACY YOUNG: They will find your vulnerability and, and use that to try to silence you. VO: In the summer of 1994, a newsletter showed up around the Youngs’ neighborhood, accusing them of things like extortion and promiscuity. Over the next three years, they learned that private investigators were asking suspicious questions of their friends and neighbors and accusing the Youngs of harboring diseased cats. STACY YOUNG: We were about a week and a half away from having to move. We were in a state of catastrophe. VAUGHN YOUNG: He just said, he says, ‘My name is Bob Minton, I read what was happening with your animal sanctuary. And I just want to know if there’s some way that I could help you out.’ VO: Out of the blue, this Bob Minton, this voice on the phone, came into their lives. He bought the Youngs a new house where they could legally keep their animals for $250,000. Incredibly, he saved the animal shelter. Stacy says she’ll never forget the day she picked up her new key. STACY YOUNG: We came to the house, we opened the front door and Bob Minton had a huge bouquet of flowers on the table for us. It was incredible. It was real! It really was real! And we’d never met this guy! And he just said, ‘Welcome to your new house. Congratulations.’ MIKE RINDER: I don’t know what motivates this guy, I don’t know what. But on the other hand if you asked me, do I know what motivated Timothy McVeigh to go blow up a building because his view is that the people sitting inside that building are violating the rights of citizens of the United States, I don’t know why he does that. I, I don’t know that you could– HOCKENBERRY: Now, you’ve just compared Bob Minton to Timothy McVeigh. RINDER: No, motivation. Like, what is it that motivates someone to, to do that? I don’t know. I don’t know how you tell someone does that before they do it. HOCKENBERRY: All right, but you very deliberately compared Bob Minton to Timothy McVeigh. RINDER: All right. HOCKENBERRY: What would it take for you to walk away from this battle? MINTON: The Church of Scientology would have to make some serious reforms. RINDER: Well, it’s all sort of an arrogant view to think that because he has a lot of money to give to people that he is going to somehow get us to change our religion. We’re not. MINTON: There have been emotional times that one really has to question how many punches you wish to take. HOCKENBERRY: Can you take a lot more punches? MINTON: I think so. You know, I am setting an example to show people that this organization is not invulnerable to being criticized. That they cannot destroy everybody, all the time, who is willing to stand up to them.”

 
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Random Howdy

“I wish you would comment more often.”

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Found guilty on two counts on May 31, remanded to custody. Sentenced to 30 years to life on Sep 7.
— ‘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 May 31, 2024.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud.

Civil litigation:
— Leah Remini v. Scientology, alleging ‘Fair Game’ harassment and defamation: Some defamation claims were removed by Judge Hammock. Leah seeking to amend her complaint.
— Baxter, Baxter, and Paris v. Scientology, alleging labor trafficking: Forced to arbitration.
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: motion to file new complaint, hearing on May 29.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, on hold until appeal over new judge heard.
— Chiropractors Steve Peyroux and Brent Detelich, stem cell fraud: Ordered to mediation.

 
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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] Scientology background helped with anti-mandate work, Seattle council candidate says
[TWO years ago] Paul Haggis arrested in Italy: More proof he’s a villain, or is Scientology behind it?
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s OT powers have survived the pandemic: Here are the miracles to prove it!
[FOUR years ago] Scientologist chiro Jay Spina’s clinic killed a patient say feds asking for 10-year sentence
[FIVE years ago] HOWDYCON 2019 IS HERE — HOLLYWOOD IS CLEAR!
[SIX years ago] Scientologists charged with Medi-Cal insurance fraud will stand trial on August 28
[SEVEN years ago] John Brousseau: Marty Rathbun is putting words in my mouth about the FBI’s Scientology probe
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology is holding this Kazakh 20-year-old prisoner, says her media-grabbing mom
[NINE years ago] RFK Jr’s anti-vax activism hits lowest spot ever — with Scientology and the Nation of Islam
[TEN years ago] Paul Haggis tells us his favorite Scientology stories of 2014
[ELEVEN years ago] Dianetics Noir: Dangerous Women Hiding Their Womb-Secrets

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 20, 2024 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, 1995-2023 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2023), 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

 

Tony Ortega at Rolling Stone