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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Scientology asks for psychiatric examination of Laura DeCrescenzo in forced-abortion lawsuit

Laura DeCrescenzo (center) with Marc and Claire Headley as word emerged that Scientology’s motion for summary judgment had been defeated

The Church of Scientology has already demonstrated that it will go to extraordinary lengths to fight and derail the lawsuit filed in 2009 by former Sea Org member Laura DeCrescenzo.

Just to contest an order []

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Sunday Funnies: Scientology Gets Ideal in Taiwan

Now that Scientology has re-jiggered its Bridge to Total Freedom, by golly, there’s no holding it back. And next stop on its crusade to take over the world is a new “Ideal Org” in Taiwan.

Our tipsters came through again this week with a great collection of new Scientology mailers and fliers from around the world. []

Lori Hodgson and her son Jeremy: What you didn’t hear on Inside Edition

Yesterday, Lori Hodgson was seen on Inside Edition making a surprise visit to her son, Jeremy Leake, in Austin.

This isn’t the first time Lori has attempted to see her son in Texas after Jeremy and his sister Jessica both “disconnected” from their mother following her defection from the Church of Scientology.

In May, she also []

How Does Scientology Take Over a Mind? Jefferson Hawkins Tells Us About “PTS”

Jefferson Hawkins was once the top marketing executive for the Church of Scientology and helped it reach its greatest extent with the famous “volcano” TV ads in the 1980s. He’s told his tale of getting into and out of the church with his excellent books Counterfeit Dreams and Leaving Scientology, and he’s helping us understand []

RUSSELL MILLER’S BARE-FACED MESSIAH, BACK IN PRINT IN FEBRUARY!

 We have a stunning announcement to make. Silvertail Books is bringing back into print the book which revealed for the first time the true life story of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.

Bare-faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard by Russell Miller was first published in 1987, after a long legal battle []

TEXAS SHOWDOWN: Can Monique Rathbun Get an Order to Depose Scientology Leader David Miscavige?

A week from today, on December 11, the next dramatic chapter in Monique Rathbun’s lawsuit against Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, will take place in the Comal County courthouse in New Braunfels, Texas.

In August, Monique filed the lawsuit, accusing Miscavige of orchestrating a years-long retaliation campaign against her husband, Mark “Marty” Rathbun, that had []

Scientology’s Shiny New Mark Ultra VIII E-Meter

One of the more exciting results of Scientology’s new product release was the slick new E-meter that all church members will now be expected to purchase, and for the low price of only $5,000!

We asked the one person who probably knows more about this device than anyone else to give us the lowdown on its []

Our Experts Prepare Us for the Wall of Fire — Scientology’s Operating Thetan Level Three!

Claire Headley is taking us on our journey to train as Scientologists. She and her husband Marc were Sea Org workers who escaped from Scientology’s International Base in 2005. She spent years working with Scientology’s “tech,” and was trusted to oversee the auditing of Tom Cruise. Go here to see the first part in this []

Here Comes Scientology, Here Comes Scientology, Right Down Hollywood Boulevard!

If you live in Southern California, you know there are some wonderful traditions that help define the calendar.

One of them is not the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Cheesy and lame, this embarrassment of a holiday procession is an afterthought even in Tinseltown.

But Scientology rarely misses an opportunity to be a part of the event, []

Scientology Sunday Funnies: Fundraising Mailers Galore!

On Sundays, we enjoy revealing to you the latest mailers and fliers that our tipsters have forwarded to us. We call it Sunday Funnies after the weekly ritual that dear Grandad enjoyed in this thing they used to call a “newspaper.”

This week, we have lots of items from around the world. So grab a cup []