Laura DeCrescenzo’s attorneys have answered the Church of Scientology’s latest attempt to derail her forced-abortion lawsuit, and they’ve done it in only two pages.
The church has until July 2 to turn over DeCrescenzo’s “pc files” — thousands of pages of confessional material compiled while she was an employee of the church starting at only nine years of age. DeCrescenzo believes that the documents will bolster her claim that she was abused as a member of Scientology’s “Sea Org,” including her assertion that she was forced to have an abortion at 17. Scientology has already lost two appeals fighting the court order, and have now asked LA Superior Court Judge Ronald Sohigian for a protective order to keep the documents from being seen by the public.
Her answer to that request is short and sweet.
On June 7, the church filed a motion for a protective order, arguing that when it turns over the pc files on July 2, they should be kept from the public. The church’s argument relied primarily on a letter DeCrescenzo’s attorney Kathryn Saldana wrote in August 2012. In it, Saldana suggested that DeCrescenzo would be “more than willing to work with you on a protective order that would ensure certain protections” to Scientology.
But DeCrescenzo’s response makes it clear that a lot has happened since Saldana sent that letter. Scientology, for example, has appealed the order to turn over the documents to California’s state appeals and state supreme courts — and lost both times. Scientology has indicated that it now plans to appeal to the US Supreme Court.
DeCrescenzo’s answer takes only two pages: With only a few days before the church is supposed to turn over the evidence, it’s in no position to be making demands, she says. If at one point there might have been some cooperation on the table, now that Scientology has put Laura through the expense of multiple appeals, she’s in no mood to cut a deal. It’s time for the church to turn over the documents.
A hearing is scheduled for July 1, and we’ll be fascinated to see if Scientology finally must turn over DeCrescenzo’s files after all.
Here’s her response, a model of brevity…
DeCrescenzo Opposition to Protective Order
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Posted by Tony Ortega on June 24, 2013 at 07:00
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