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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Philly lawyers suing Danny Masterson don’t want Scientology to have their home addresses

[Danny Masterson, Brian Kent, and Marci Hamilton]

Last year, a group of high-profile attorneys based in Philadelphia who had made names for themselves suing or prosecuting on behalf of people who had been victimized by Catholic priests, massage parlors, and even Bill Cosby set their sights on the Church of Scientology. They filed three big lawsuits, []

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Missouri is suing China over COVID-19, and it’s just legal theater

 Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

Missouri’s Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed suit against China, accusing it of “deceit, concealment, misfeasance, and inaction” in unleashing COVID-19 on the world.

Wait, can foreign states be sued in US courts? Usually, no, and until 1952, []

Even a pandemic can’t stop Scientology from tracking you down, apostate!

 Phil Jones sent along a recorded phone message he received yesterday, as well as this explanation. Thanks, []

Making a bad situation worse: The choice between the economy and lives is a false one

Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

The choice between the economy and lives is a false one. Our collective internal risk calculus won’t simply flip from ‘unsafe’ to ‘safe’ because a governor lifts a stay-at-home []

City of Inglewood: Brian Statler shouldn’t have resisted arrest and forced us to shoot him dead

[Brian Statler]

The City of Inglewood has answered the lawsuit filed by Brian Statler’s family, and in predictably generic language denies that its police officers did anything wrong when they ventilated the 30-year-old mixed race man on March 27, 2019 at the Church of Scientology’s Inglewood “Ideal []

Tom Cruise on InTouch cover: Another completely oversold Scientology clip job

 For years we’ve pointed out the dishonest tabloid formula that gets used again and again in stories about Scientology: The publication promises a huge bombshell on the cover but when you turn to the story inside, it’s almost always just another clip job with breathless expressions of amazement about how incredible it would be if []

Scientology: Earth is a prison planet and the virus just another fake threat. So study LRH!

 As the pandemic goes on and on, this bizarre video is being promoted to Scientologists that the end of the health crisis (whenever it comes) will be the start of something new and exciting. []

Scientology denied: Watch Clearwater church members calling Mark Bunker a bigot

 On Thursday night, seven prominent Clearwater businessmen spoke to the city council, urging that its newest member, Mark Bunker, not be added to the city’s Downtown Development []

Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz: TV dolts adding to the problems with having a TV president

 Attorney Scott Pilutik wrestles with the news of the day, from a lawyerly perspective…

[Regarding this story: After Fauci urged caution in reopening the economy, Fox News turned to Dr. Phil for a second opinion]

The most dangerous place in the country at the present moment isn’t a nursing home but rather the space between ‘Dr. Phil’ []

New amended complaint packs a wallop in Miami Scientology child sex assault lawsuit

[Defendant David Miscavige]

Just days before a major showdown hearing was scheduled for April 20 (and was likely to be put back for the pandemic), “Jane Doe” has filed a new amended complaint in her lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige that will upend scheduling in the case. []