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We told you previously that we don’t envy the judges presiding over the sordid mess surrounding American Top 40 deejay Casey Kasem, 82, as he slips away into dementia. Kasem’s wife of 34 years, Jean, and his daughter from a previous marriage, Kerri, are locked in a bitter fight over how to care for him in his final days. Kerri has convinced a Los Angeles Superior Court judge that the best thing for her father is to withhold food and drink as he slips away. There may be a very good medical reason for this, and we’d rather not second-guess a judge in a tough spot. Continue reading More proof of Kerri Kasem’s Scientology involvement, and Laura Prepon lies like a rug
 Eric Tenorio The Underground Bunker has learned that a multi-county Oklahoma state grand jury has been empaneled to look into criminal insurance fraud allegations against Scientology’s flagship drug rehab facility, Narconon Arrowhead. Scientology’s celebrities — Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Kirstie Alley — have each promoted Scientology’s drug rehab network, Narconon, as a model program. But revelations about Narconon’s deceptive business model — that it offers Scientology training rather than drug counseling, for example — has resulted in an increasing number of law enforcement investigations and civil lawsuits around the country. The network’s flagship facility, Narconon Arrowhead in eastern Oklahoma, has especially been under scrutiny after three patients died in a nine-month period in 2011 and 2012, resulting in county and state investigations of the facility. Continue reading OKLAHOMA EMPANELS GRAND JURY TO INVESTIGATE SCIENTOLOGY’S DRUG REHAB
 Another vintage trio A tip of the hat to Communicator I/C, who last night spotted something interesting at the New Republic. It was a review of a new book about science fiction giant Robert Heinlein which apparently contains a salacious detail about Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Reviewing William Patterson’s second volume of his huge Heinlein biography, New Republic writer Jeet Heer tosses out an aside that should have Scientology watchers doing a double-take. Continue reading About that ‘threesome’ with L. Ron Hubbard and the Heinleins
 Over the years, we’ve been pretty good at staying away from family law stories. Why? Because in family court, everyone lies. The stakes are just too high. It makes reporting on such cases mostly an exercise in futility.
For that reason, we’ve been loathe to write anything about the sad custody battle over Casey Kasem, 82, the golden-voiced American Top 40 deejay who retired in 2009 and now suffers from a common form of dementia that has left him unable to speak. Continue reading Casey Kasem’s sordid family drama: Is Kerri’s involvement in Scientology relevant?
 Oh, those days of thunder Tom Cruise has a new movie out, so maybe it just comes with the territory that some media types will do their best to burnish his reputation. We’ve always had a lot of respect for Tom’s acting skills, and we never root against his movie success. But some of his admirers in the media have been trying to rewrite history by downplaying how much Tom’s involvement in Scientology has hurt his public image. We’ve tried to push back at that notion, and now we’re glad to see that Jeffrey Augustine, in his latest podcast, talked to Marc Headley about his personal experiences with Tom Cruise in Scientology. Continue reading Scientology Sunday Funnies: The Tom Cruise history lesson edition!
 Las Vegas attorney Ryan Hamilton continues to pile on the hurt for Scientology’s drug rehab network, Narconon.
Just days after filing a lawsuit against Scientology’s rehab facility in Nevada, Hamilton filed a new federal lawsuit against Narconon’s center in Fort Collins, Colorado, which goes by the name A Life Worth Saving. Continue reading Ryan Hamilton makes it an even dozen federal lawsuits against Scientology’s rehab network
In the fall of 2012, Mary Jane Sterne couldn’t have been any prouder. Her daughter, Samantha Paige Sterne, was beginning her first semester as a freshman at the University of Oregon. Samantha’s older sister Brittaney — Mary Jane’s daughter from a previous marriage — was on hand, and so was her ex-husband Chuck Sterne, Samantha’s father. It was a celebration, the family setting up “Sami” in her freshman dorm as the young pre-med major began her college experience. Continue reading Where is Scientology keeping Samantha Sterne?
 Ah, 1954, the days of wine and word salad. Our source has come through with another “quote video” that you normally can only see inside a Scientology “org.” In this case, it’s a segment of an L. Ron Hubbard lecture from the “Phoenix Lectures” of 1954, and it’s meant to encourage members to pay $350 to Bridge Publications for the full lecture set.
Before we show it to you, here’s how Bridge describes this exciting breakthrough in midcentury literary sleight of hand… Continue reading 60 years ago and today: Scientology in its heyday, and now not so much
 In March, the Church of Scientology was sued by former member Vance Woodward, an attorney in the Los Angeles area. Readers at the Underground Bunker were familiar with Vance — he helped us do a comprehensive and fun series, reading L. Ron Hubbard’s essential text, Dianetics, cover to cover. Over his 22-year career in the church, Vance estimated that he’d spent about $600,000 and about a third of that was for services he never received.
As part of its 1993 agreement with the IRS that gained Scientology tax-exempt status, the church is required to give refunds to members who qualify for them. But Vance is one of many former members who say Scientology’s refund process is a sham. He’s suing because he says there’s no way to get his money back through the church’s own procedures. Continue reading OY VEY: Scientology invokes Jewish Law to answer lawsuit by attorney Vance Woodward
 Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington Once again, Federal District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has declined to intervene on behalf of Florida attorney Ken Dandar after he was hit by a $1 million judgment in state court awarded to the Church of Scientology. Dandar had alleged that the $1 million judgment would not only ruin him, but that it was the result of a conspiracy by Scientology that had corrupted local courts in the Clearwater area, where one of Scientology’s headquarters is located. Covington previously had denied Dandar’s request that the federal court intervene, but he had appealed, and an appellate court had asked Covington to reconsider his lawsuit in light of a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Continue reading Federal judge again declines to intervene for Ken Dandar, but leaves a door open
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