TODAY AT SUBSTACK: If you’ve signed up for free emails at Substack, you will receive today’s feature story at your inbox: We’ve obtained a transcript of the April 1 hearing when notorious Scientology doc David Minkoff’s attorney argued he should be dropped from the Whitney Mills lawsuit because the experts saying he caused her death were not alt-medicine quacks like him. it’s entertaining reading! [What is this Substack thing, anyway?]
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Technology Cocktail
“The pain is concentrated on the left upper molar. You audit it in vain. Toothache persists. Look at the pc’s mouth. Has the RIGHT upper molar ever been pulled or injured? Yes. That’s how the left molar began to decay. The right upper molar was pulled. The pain (especially under the pain-killer on the right side only) backed up and stopped on the opposite side. Eventually the left upper molar, under that stress, a year or ten later, caves in and aches. Mysterious as it wasn’t injured. Mysterious as the opposite molar is long gone, doesn’t hurt anymore. When a toothache does not resolve in auditing, audit the opposite tooth on the other side. You can actually do it by count of teeth.” — L. Ron Hubbard, 1978
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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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“Don’t, by the way, think I’m utterly mad when I talk about this, because I am afraid that the very, very best and most conservative churches of the land would rather be found dead than to disagree with me on the fact that man does have a soul. And the quest of an auditor, in working with a preclear, is to discover and rehabilitate that soul and actually help the individual to find out where heaven is. If we use those terms, of course, it becomes very comprehensible, in a past frame of reference. But heaven isn’t what you think it is, and hell is right here….But isn’t it strange that whenever I talk to somebody about this, they are much more willing to accept this concept than they were willing to accept such things as prenatal engrams and so forth. The most violent reactions I get from people, ordinarily, ‘You mean I HAVE lived before and I WILL live again?’ And you say…’Yeah, and the race has lived for an awful long time, and you could probably do so-and-so and so-and-so, and step out of your body and soar off to Venus if you wanted to.’ Used to be I’d say to somebody…’There’s such things as prenatal engrams and a child records when it’s in its mother and so forth.’ And they’d say, ‘Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak.’ No agreement on the line. But people are agreeing with me on THIS in the most unexpected quarters, unexpected quarters. Most people are atheists because they know that the way it was drawn up and presented to them wasn’t the way it is. That’s why they’re atheists. So don’t have any great fear about this theta track and theta beingness, or even in relaying it to people, because you’re in for some surprises. They’ll sit there and they’ll say, ‘Is that so! Tell me more.’” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 15, 1952
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“CORFU: It may be of interest that ‘Major’ Forte the British Consul in Corfu who messed the area up with lies is about to be sued by us in Corfu for libel and slander proven by his own testimony.” — The Commodore, April 15, 1971
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“I would say Hubbard’s Bridge was incomplete, with lots of unrepaired loose ends (he was notorious for interfering with his C/Sing and solo running new processes, according to old timers) coupled with the fact that it’s hard to know of a terminal where his previous time track would be validated. This is made worse by people who clearly are not LRH claiming publicly to be. I have heard of this effect in non-Scientology fields amongst the ‘past life’ crowd where everyone seems to have been Cleopatra, Henry VIII, etc, but then this poses a serious problem where if either of these individuals show up for real, they are going to face substantial invalidation both internally and externally.”
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1997: Internet news site The Drudge Report cited sources that Scientologist Tom Cruise will be making an anti-psychiatric movie with director Stanley Kubrik. “The DRUDGE REPORT has learned that actor Tom Cruise is not only getting $20 million dollars for his acting role in Stanley Kubrick’s new fuss film EYES WIDE SHUT, he’s also been guaranteed 20% of the film’s receipts. A strong source closely involved with the project says Cruise is earning every penny. ‘Stanley is sending him to hell and back,’ a Burbank snitch explains. The film involves sexual role playing, heroin addiction and intense mind games between a psychiatrist, his wife and his patients. The film is more than 7 months into production, with wrap and release dates yet to be determined There are many at WARNER BROS. that fear it will be dropped in NC-17 condition.'”
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“The only thing standing between Scientology being viewed in the same light as FLDS, Peoples Temple or Branch Davidians by the general public is Tom Cruise and the rest of the celebs.”
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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, 2023. DA’s response to appeal brief due May 14.
— ‘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 April 25.
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, convicted of fraud. Pre-sentencing conference was held April 4. Next hearing scheduled for April 14.
Civil litigation:
— 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. Judge Upindra Kalra’s ruling denying Scientology’s motion to strike is on appeal.
— Jane Doe 1 v. Scientology, David Miscavige, and Gavin Potter: Case unsealed and second amended complaint filed. Scientology moves for religious arbitration, gets ruling to depose Jane Doe 1. Trial has been set for January 10, 2028.
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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] The new season of Scientology TV is here! Can an NFL legend finally get someone to watch?
[TWO years ago] VIDEO: Scientology’s post-pandemic comeback starts right here, space cadets!
[THREE years ago] Calif. supremes want reply from DA to Danny Masterson’s bid for review in rape case
[FOUR years ago] Kirstie Alley’s daughter: ‘Everyone’ is ditching Los Angeles for Clearwater
[FIVE years ago] ‘Rona blues: Court delays, Shelly on the menu, and more Scientology nonsense
[SIX years ago] L. Ron Hubbard: Scientology will thrive when medical doctors are reined in
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology’s space opera ideas aren’t just for the upper levels, as one key early book shows
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology is No. 1 with No. 2! Or, how the Church of David Miscavige stinks up Clearwater
[NINE years ago] Scientology rips apart families with its ‘disconnection’ policy — but why?
[TEN years ago] Another leak of outtakes from 1997’s ‘Secret Lives’ — Scientology’s finance ‘dictator’
[ELEVEN years ago] Jefferson Hawkins helps us understand Scientology’s L Rundowns!
[TWELVE years ago] We Need Your Help, Scientology Watchers
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Bernie Headley (1952-2019) did not see his daughter Stephanie in his final 5,667 days.
Joe Reaiche (1958-2024) did not see his daughter Alanna Masterson in his final 6,999 days.
Mike Rinder (1955-2025) did not see his son Benjamin and daughter Taryn in his final 7,589 days.
Tammy Synovec has not seen her daughter Julia in 3,235 days.
Valerie Haney has not seen her mother Lynne in 3,730 days.
Katrina Reyes has not seen her mother Yelena in 4,245 days
Sylvia Wagner DeWall has not seen her brother Randy in 3,795 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his grandson Leo in 2,785 days.
Klaus Büchele has not seen his daughter Jasmin in 5,171 days.
Geoff Levin has not seen his son Collin and daughter Savannah in 2,666 days.
Christie Collbran has not seen her mother Liz King in 5,970 days.
Clarissa Adams has not seen her parents Walter and Irmin Huber in 3,839 days.
Jamie Sorrentini Lugli has not seen her father Irving in 5,393 days.
Quailynn McDaniel has not seen her brother Sean in 4,734 days.
Dylan Gill has not seen his father Russell in 13,301 days.
Melissa Paris has not seen her father Jean-Francois in 9,220 days.
Valeska Paris has not seen her brother Raphael in 5,388 days.
Mirriam Francis has not seen her brother Ben in 4,970 days.
Claudio and Renata Lugli have not seen their son Flavio in 5,229 days.
Sara Goldberg has not seen her daughter Ashley in 4,266 days.
Lori Hodgson has not seen her son Jeremy and daughter Jessica in 3,982 days.
Marie Bilheimer has not seen her mother June in 3,546 days.
Julian Wain has not seen his brother Joseph or mother Susan in 1,861 days.
Charley Updegrove has not seen his son Toby in 3,036 days.
Derek Bloch has not seen his father Darren in 4,718 days.
Cindy Plahuta has not seen her daughter Kara in 5,055 days.
Roger Weller has not seen his daughter Alyssa in 9,909 days.
Claire Headley has not seen her mother Gen in 5,024 days.
Ramana Dienes-Browning has not seen her mother Jancis in 3,386 days.
Brian Sheen has not seen his daughter Spring in 3,795 days.
Skip Young has not seen his daughters Megan and Alexis in 4,193 days.
Mary Kahn has not seen her son Sammy in 4,069 days.
Lois Reisdorf has not seen her son Craig in 3,634 days.
Phil and Willie Jones have not seen their son Mike and daughter Emily in 4,145 days.
Mary Jane Barry has not seen her daughter Samantha in 4,401 days.
Kate Bornstein has not seen her daughter Jessica in 15,509 days.
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 15, 2025 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
