Tony Ortega is a journalist who was formerly the editor of The Village Voice. He's written about Scientology since 1995, and in May 2015 released a book about Scientology's harassment of Paulette Cooper titled 'The Unbreakable Miss Lovely.' He continues to monitor breaking developments in the Scientology world from an undisclosed location in an underground bunker he shares with four cats and one of them wrinkly Shar Pei dogs. Despite his super-secret security protections, you can still reach him pretty easily by sending him a message at tonyo94 AT gmail.com (Drop him a line if you'd like to get an e-mail whenever a new story is posted.) [Header image courtesy John Rickard]
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Bijou Phillips on her husband Danny Masterson: A macho ‘Strong Island’ guy

[Bijou Phillips, on her back patio]

 On September 18, Scientology celeb Danny Masterson, 44, made his first appearance in court in a criminal case that has him facing 45 years to life for allegedly raping three different women. And he not only came to court that day in Los Angeles, he brought so many people with []

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Danny Masterson asks to halt civil lawsuit while criminal case is ongoing, as expected

 On Thursday Danny Masterson filed a motion to stay a civil lawsuit brought against him in 2019 by Chrissie Carnell Bixler, her husband, and three other women. They’re suing Masterson, the Church of Scientology, and its leader David Miscavige for what they allege is a campaign of harassment since the women went to the LAPD []

Read the prosecution’s smackdown of Danny Masterson’s attempt to get out of rape charges

[Masterson at his Sept 18 appearance and prosecutor Reinhold Mueller]

On September 18 Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson appeared in court for what was scheduled to be his arraignment on criminal charges that he’d raped three women, all of whom were Scientologists when the incidents occurred. He is facing 45 years to life in []

SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS, Episode 10: Bryan Seymour wraps up his series axed by Seven News

 ‘The Reckoning,’ the tenth and final episode of ‘Scientology Black Ops,’ a special 7NEWS Australia investigation that was cancelled by the network in July, has been leaked to the []

The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology, No. 13: Google and other tech titans

 On September 6, 2014 — six years ago, an eternity in Internet time — Sea Org lifer Brandy Harrison, the “Building Expansion Director Int,” got up in front of a crowd of Scientologists in the San Fernando Valley who had paid $100 each to be there and told them that their church had already received []

First look at ‘Brothers Broken,’ a Scientology documentary that features the Bunker

 Geoff Levin surprised us and made available the trailer for his upcoming documentary, “Brothers Broken,” which takes a devastating look at the effects of Scientology’s toxic “disconnection” []

Danny Masterson’s attempt to get out of rape accusers’ lawsuit to be heard today

 [UPDATE: Masterson’s demurrer was denied, as was Scientology’s, and the lawsuit passes an early hurdle. But with some caveats. More tomorrow.]

It’s another big day for Danny Masterson at Los Angeles Superior Court today, and we hope to bring you an eyewitness account from the hearing as soon as it’s []

SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS, Ep 9: Director Paul Haggis responds to a lawsuit’s rape allegations

 ‘Accused,’ the ninth episode of ‘Scientology Black Ops,’ a special 7NEWS Australia investigation that was cancelled by the network in July, has been leaked to the []

Scientology once again confirms our estimates for its tiny size

 Oh, Dave, you did it again.

We want to thank the tipster who sent us the most recent issue of International Scientology News. In recent years, ISN has emerged as the biggest, glossiest snoozefest put out by the church as David Miscavige has turned it into the print version of his interminable event []

STUNNING LEAK: Scientology’s entire asset portfolio the year it got IRS church status

[David Miscavige in 1993, and the War Is Over announcement that October]

It’s one of those jaw-dropping moments in a jaw-dropping film.

In Alex Gibney’s 2015 HBO documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Marty Rathbun, Scientology’s former top enforcer, explains the stark situation facing the organization and its ultimate leader, David Miscavige, at []