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 Luis and Rocio Garcia After several months delay in the federal fraud lawsuit that Luis and Rocio Garcia brought against the Church of Scientology, the Garcias have filed a surprising new motion: They’re dropping three defendants from the suit and asking Judge James Whittemore for the right to amend their original complaint. If you remember our previous reporting on this lawsuit, you know that late last year it hit a snag. More than nine months after the suit was originally filed in January 2013, Scientology notified the court that the Garcias had committed a basic error. The Garcias had sued in federal court in Florida, even though the Garcias themselves and the trustees of some of the Scientology entities they were suing live in California. This appeared to violate a legal concept known as “diversity jurisdiction,” and Scientology asked to have the case dismissed. Continue reading Ted Babbitt’s gambit: Recasting the Garcia federal fraud lawsuit against Scientology
 Our video source has another fun dose of L. Ron Hubbard for us this week. In this “quote video” used by Scientology to sell a $125.00 set of lectures, we learn about the power of theta as it heals the faithful at a church in South America. Huh? Well, whatever.
Here’s how Bridge Publications describes this set of lectures, made soon after the publication of Hubbard’s book Science of Survival in 1951… Continue reading VIDEO: Learn the power of Scientology in L. Ron Hubbard’s Science of Survival lectures!
 Breaking news from our man in Paris, Jonny Jacobsen, who tells us that Belgian prosecutors finally announced their decision in a criminal case that has been a long time coming. Here’s Jonny’s report…
A court in Belgium on Thursday has sent two Scientology organisations and at least 10 Scientologists for trial, the Belga news agency reports. The Chambre de Conseil had been considering whether two criminal investigations against the movement, one dating back as far as 1997, should go to court. Continue reading Belgium will try two Scientology organizations and 10 Scientologists for fraud
 On Tuesday, we posted Narconon’s response to the first of four federal fraud lawsuits filed against the Scientology drug rehab facilities in recent weeks. Now, just days later, Las Vegas attorney Ryan Hamilton has come swinging back, asking the court to accept that Narconon has essentially admitted to the allegations his client made about the deceptive practices at the Nevada facility, Rainbow Canyon Retreat in the town of Caliente.
That’s aggressive lawyering, and maybe an informed approach to Scientology’s legal style, given its history. A couple additional court notes before we let you loose on the court filing. Continue reading Ryan Hamilton jumps on Narconon’s answer in Nevada drug rehab lawsuit
 By Tony Ortega
This is happening in Los Angeles, on Fountain Avenue, in an old hospital building painted blue and topped with huge, lit-up letters that read SCIENTOLOGY. And this is only weeks ago. In 2014. In the center of one of the largest cities in a country that likes to think of itself as one of the freest on earth. A woman of 29. Already a veteran of years of working 19-hour days for eight dollars a week. With no access to a telephone. Sleeping in a room with 11 other women on a floor of the old hospital with only a single bathroom. She’s never owned a car. She’s never rented her own apartment. She’s never owned a cell phone. She’s never had a credit card. Continue reading Jillian Schlesinger: How I got into Scientology, and how I got out
 We just talked to our old friend and Underground Bunker correspondent Vance Woodward, who filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology Friday.
You remember Vance — after putting out a wild memoir about his time in the church, he helped us blog L. Ron Hubbard’s essential text, Dianetics, and we had a roller coaster of a time going through it, chapter by chapter. After our last installment of the series in June, Vance said he was relocating from San Francisco to Los Angeles and wanted to refocus his life on his legal career — he even took his memoir off the market. Continue reading Lawyer Vance Woodward sues Scientology over his time in the church — here’s the complaint
 The last time we checked on Laura DeCrescenzo’s forced-abortion lawsuit against Scientology, we learned that Judge Ronald Sohigian (who handed Laura such a decisive victory in October) had decided to retire. The case was assigned to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rafael A. Ongkeko, but Scientology filed a peremptory challenge, which automatically was granted.
So now, the case has been assigned to Judge Robert L. Hess. Some preliminary reading suggests to us that Hess has a cantankerous reputation, but then Sohigian was legendary for being a grouch, and he was won over by Laura’s voluminous evidence. Continue reading New judge announced in Laura DeCrescenzo case, and Narconon lawyers up
 At our request, Karen de la Carriere hurried to prepare part two of her interview series with Jillian Schlesinger, a woman who defected from Scientology’s inner “Sea Org” just a few weeks ago. (See yesterday’s remarkable Part One of the series.)
In this segment, Jillian talks about the snitching culture in Scientology, and about how pregnancies are still discouraged in the Sea Org. (See our big story about the lawsuit of Laura DeCrescenzo, who is suing Scientology over her forced abortion.) Continue reading Jillian Schlesinger says Scientology now ‘sneakier’ about forcing abortions
 Karen de la Carriere has an amazing video for us this week. She talked to Jillian Schlesinger, who left Scientology’s inner “Sea Organization” just a few weeks ago after 12 years of dedicated work.
Joining at only 18, Jillian says she was working 19 hour days and taking home only about eight dollars a week — and yet some of her pay was set aside in order to contribute to birthday gifts for Scientology leader David Miscavige. Continue reading Three weeks out of Scientology: Fresh information from a ‘blown’ Sea Org member
 Jon Atack is the author of A Piece of Blue Sky, one of the very best books on L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. He has a new edition of the book for sale, and on Saturdays he’s helping us sift through the legends, myths, and contested facts about Scientology that tend to get hashed and rehashed in books, articles, and especially on the Internet.
Jon continues to examine some of the most basic assumptions about L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. And this week, Jon takes the grand view. Take it away, maestro… Continue reading Jon Atack: Why I call Scientology a cult and not a church
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