Scientology really reaching in latest attempt to keep Philly lawyers out of Masterson lawsuit

At this point a hearing is still scheduled for April 22 in Los Angeles Superior Court in the lawsuit filed by Danny Masterson’s accusers against the actor and the Church of Scientology. Given the way the pandemic has wreaked havoc on court schedules, we have a feeling that this hearing stands a good chance of being delayed, but Scientology is taking no chances and filed a brief this week in anticipation of the event just in case.

At that hearing, when it does happen, the out-of-state attorneys behind this and two other big lawsuits against the church are hoping to be admitted formally to the case some eight months after the legal action was initially filed last August.

We told you earlier that Scientology had filed some pretty overheated objections to allowing the attorneys into the case, which is usually just a formality. At a hearing on March 11, Judge Steven Kleifield remarked at how unusual it was for there to be a fight over admitting attorneys “pro hac vice” as it’s called, but out of an abundance of caution he asked the lawyers seeking permission to come back with some additional documentation to prove that they had not made use of the privilege too frequently in the last couple of years.

Now, Scientology is back with more nitpicky complaints about the supplemental reports that those attorneys filed at the judge’s request.

Chrissie Carnell Bixler, Bobette Riales, and two women going by the names Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2 came forward to the Los Angeles Police Department more than three years ago with allegations that they had been violently raped by Masterson in incidents between 2001 and 2004. The LAPD investigation of those allegations continues, and in recent months we’ve reported that three additional women have come forward to the police. The LAPD initially forwarded its findings to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office in April 2017 for prosecution, but DA Jackie Lacey (now facing a November run-off election seeking her third term) has still not said anything about whether she plans to file charges.

Last August, the four women and Carnell Bixler’s husband, rocker Cedric Bixler-Zavala, filed their lawsuit over what they claim was the intense Scientology “Fair Game” harassment campaign they’d been subjected to because they had come forward to the police. So while they continue to wait for the criminal investigation to come up with rape charges, they are suing over the harassment they say they’ve been put through in a coordinated effort by Scientology, its leader David Miscavige, and Masterson.

The lawsuit was the second of three filed last year by a prominent national legal team that had announced it was taking the church on. But since then the legal team has had to rely on a less prominent California attorney, Bobby Thompson, to handle the actual action in court because the big names still haven’t been admitted formally.

Now, Scientology is claiming that these Philadelphia-based attorneys still haven’t fulfilled the law’s requirements in their supplemental reports.

Brian Kent, for example, still hasn’t supplied his home address and he hasn’t been specific enough about which courts he’s been admitted to pro hac vice, Scientology attorney Bill Forman complains. Gaetano D’Andrea has provided conflicting information about his past admittances in California, Stewart Ryan and Jeffrey Fritz also haven’t given their home addresses, and Marci Hamilton hasn’t been specific about which courts she’s been admitted to and she left off her office address at the University of Pennsylvania.

Does any of that add up to a hill of beans that Judge Kleifield is going to care about? We have no idea! Once again, it looks like Scientology is pitching a fit because that’s what Scientology’s attorneys are paid to do.

We’ll be interested to see if the judge takes any of that seriously. But again, we don’t know if that’s actually going to happen on April 22.

In case you actually want to see this nitpicky document, here it is.

 
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Scientology million-dollar donor Jim Mathers explains the coronavirus

Gold Meritorious ($1 million) donor Jim Mathers demonstrates the human brain on Scientology…

 
And in case you missed it in the comments yesterday, Scientology musicians, including Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke, as well as the usual minor celebs such as Kerri Kasem and Jim Meskimen, put together a snappy tune and say “spread a smile and not something else”…

 
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Source Code

“We are processing as close to definitions as possible. This has always been true in the Advanced Course — in these Clinical Courses. We process as close to definitions as possible. And when we’re right on the button with definitions, we see that space is a viewpoint of dimension, we of course have the basic of any universe. Of any actually created universe, the basic is that there must be somebody there to be the central viewpoint of it. Well, whose postulates would hold in that universe? Of course, the person whose viewpoint it was. That person’s viewpoint would hold. Therefore, we have the god concept. Now, the other things that are manifest here that aren’t mentioned on this data sheet — down here we see the Know to Sex Scale is something that you could use for diagnosis and hasn’t been gone into here very thoroughly. Now, here we have know, look, emote, effort, think, symbols, eating and sex.” — L. Ron Hubbard, April 13, 1954

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“Scientology is booby-trapped to the point where Scientologists are sometimes unable to confront and handle reverse Scientology in PT. False bridges are confronted and resolved as an integral component of life on earth and the dynamics beyond the 8th. That includes the 2 primary BTs plus the primary and secondary assumption of beingness for the current eternity. The person is neither and BTs are a lower level harmonic of relative states of beingness, encountered within this universe as BTs which reduce to functions of awareness.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Have you ever destroyed a planet with a jim-dandy whizzer?”

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

Criminal prosecutions:
— Jay Spina: Sentencing was set for April 3 in White Plains
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members: Trial set for April 14 in Los Angeles

Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Waiting for an appellate decision from the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Hearing on motion for reconsideration set for June 17
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: April 22 (plaintiff attorneys pro hac vice), May 1 (Masterson new demurrer due), June 15 (CSI/RTC demurrer against Riales), July 24 (motions to compel arbitration)
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe’s attorneys have asked for discovery, depositions (Warren McShane, Lynn Farny), April 20 hearing set (motion to compel arbitration)
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach bankruptcy appeal: Oral arguments were heard on March 11 in Jacksonville
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Amended complaint filed.

 
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

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 our weekly series. How many have you read?

 
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THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Scientology and evolution: The otherwordly experience of reading ‘A History of Man’
[TWO years ago] Returning to Clearwater with a Miscavige cutout and memories of the Lisa McPherson Trust
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s celebrities to the rescue! John Travolta shills while Jenna Elfman melts down
[FOUR years ago] Class action lawsuit against Scientology’s drug rehabs refiled with new plaintiffs
[FIVE years ago] If you want the IRS to re-examine Scientology’s tax exempt status, it’s time to get real
[SIX years ago] Sunday Funnies: The Writers of the Future and more success stories!
[SEVEN years ago] The Saga of David Mayo: Scientology’s Banished Tech Wizard
[EIGHT years ago] Scientology Admits Connection to Slimy Anonymous Attack Websites

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on April 13, 2020 at 07:00

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