One of the reasons that Marty Rathbun’s bizarre about-face in 2016 was so startling and disappointing was that until that time, interviewing him was one of the absolute highlights of the work we had done here and at the Village Voice.

It was while we were editing the Voice in 2011 that Scientology’s [...]]]>

One of the reasons that Marty Rathbun’s bizarre about-face in 2016 was so startling and disappointing was that until that time, interviewing him was one of the absolute highlights of the work we had done here and at the Village Voice.

It was while we were editing the Voice in 2011 that Scientology’s goon squad, the “Squirrel Busters,” showed up at Rathbun’s south Texas home and began a months-long siege intended to make his life “a living hell,” one person who briefly took part in it said later.

From New York we started watching that crazy story develop in tiny Ingleside-by-the-Bay, and it helped convince us that this was what Scientology needed — daily beat coverage, something we’ve kept up in the 10 years since.

The next year, in November 2012, we made our second trip to Texas and our first trip to Rathbun’s home, and it was especially memorable because we drove to his house with attorney Ray Jeffrey and his two new clients, Paul Marrick and Greg Arnold, who were suing Scientology after they were fired from their jobs of following Pat Broeker for 24 years. (Don’t know that story? You should!) And while we were there, we met Jeffrey Augustine for the first time, and also the Channel 4 crew that were filming “Scientologists at War.”

One of the best parts about that trip was not just seeing Marty at his house with so many other visitors, but also seeing his wife, Monique. “Mosey,” he called her, and she was a delight.

And by “delight,” we mean that she just about threw a punch at us. She and Marty were still sore at a story we wrote at the Voice about the death of Annie Broeker that contained some unflattering references to Marty that they felt were unfair. (They weren’t.)

But that’s what made working with Marty and Monique so great. It was like sparring, and it was for very serious stakes. We said at the time that there was no bigger threat to David Miscavige’s position as leader of the Church of Scientology than Marty Rathbun and his blog. And we meant it.

Marty was taking on a big fight, but it was clear that Monique’s support was critical to the success he was having. They were an amazing team, and we didn’t mind having to spar with the both of them to get the important stories that were coming out at that time. (We even posed, at one point during that visit, in a mock boxing stance with Monique in one of our favorite photos of all time. It’s in our private collection.)

We flew back to Texas a year later when Monique filed her harassment lawsuit against David Miscavige and the Church of Scientology. We knew that it was a spectacular case and could actually put Miscavige in a witness chair. And after several dramatic developments in the case, and a long wait for an appeal hearing, by late 2015 the Rathbuns had won a huge appeal victory and they appeared to be in the driver’s seat. So it was especially bizarre that at that point, in early 2016, Monique fired her entire legal team and then dropped the case while making derogatory statements about her lawyers that we knew were untrue.

Marty said we would “rue the day” for reporting that strange about-face, but then things got even stranger. Later that year, Marty went on the attack, taking bizarre shots at Ron Miscavige, whose book “Ruthless” was coming out, and at Louis Theroux, whose “My Scientology Movie” was about to hit additional theaters. But that turned out to be only a prelude as we then caught Marty feeding information to Scientology’s legal team in a lawsuit against a former member, and then he began taking part in a bizarre series of videos attacking his former friends Mike Rinder and Paul Haggis, as well as Leah Remini, this website, and many others — videos that the Church of Scientology subsequently used in vicious online smear campaigns.

Marty had gone from David Miscavige’s biggest threat to his attack dog, and he never explained why. We never heard from Monique again, and we never got an answer from her about why she had turned on her lawyers, who had worked so hard for her for three years, and for no pay.

We’re bringing this up now because last night it was brought to our attention for the first time that in May at her Facebook account Monique revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and that she had surgery last month.

“The good thing is that although it is a very aggressive form, it was caught very early and the doctors are confident we will be able to handle it,” she wrote in May. And after her surgery: “The surgery went well yesterday and I am back home resting in my comfy bed with my two favorite guys! This journey is not yet done, but step one is finally completed. The next steps will be rough but cancer messed with the wrong girl.”

We knew Monique well enough at one point to know that is certainly true: She’s a fighter, and she will pummel cancer into submission if she can.

We sure hope she can. We will never forget how great it was to work with her and Marty, and her announcement has brought back to us how much we treasure those days.

We expect to hear soon that she’s doing better than ever.

 
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Bonus items from our tipsters

Meanwhile, also in Texas…

 
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Source Code

“I remember one time I was arrested by mistake. They do that in the United States every once in a while. Somebody wanted me as a witness. They wanted me as a witness in a bankruptcy case of some kind, and I was just a witness, innocent bystander – factually an innocent bystander, but I must have had something about that particular area in some past life because the next thing I knew why the cops rushed in you know and practically shot everybody down and grabbed me and took me off and held me very carefully so that they would have this witness for this case. And I said to ‘em, ‘Don’t you think this is sort of unfair?’ And they didn’t pay any attention to that. So I got kind of mean, in my own inimical mean way. And when I finally appeared on the witness stand, I had the prosecuting attorney and the attorney for defense arguing with the judge that I shouldn’t be required to be held more than the next 15 or 20 minutes anyway because they wanted to help me. The judge helped me too. That was the end. I sat down and gave some testimony. I said, ‘Well I don’t know anything about it. I was hardly there.’ And that was it. Boom.” — L. Ron Hubbard, July 7, 1960

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“MARY SUE HUBBARD is assigned Power as a student, 2nd week running, with 441 points. She also got 100 percent on her Exam. DIANA HUBBARD having gotten 100 points is upgraded to Emergency as a student. KEN URQUHART, with only 10 points, is assigned Non Existence as a student. The Class in general is doing well on Dianetics, will soon complete, and be ready to audit. When so qualified they go onto VI or VIII as eligible.” — The Commodore, July 7, 1969

 
——————–

Overheard in the FreeZone

“Scientology does not make ‘good people.’ No, it really does not. We make Clears and OTs. We make Auditors, we make Administrators and Executives. This is something completely different. Honestly, I don’t want to be ‘good.’ People who do what they are told or when they have to be told what to do are considered as good: ‘I was just doing my job.’ So a civil servant, a policeman, a soldier. Finally, it’s someone who doesn’t want to, can’t, or shouldn’t take responsibility. Someone who does not want to, cannot or should not think.”

 
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Past is Prologue

1996: David Gerard posted news concerning the Liar’s Club, an Australian radio program taken off the air by the Australian Broadcasting Authority for its criticism of Scientology. “Australia’s leading law body on media, the Communications Law Centre (CLC), has disagreed with the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) over a recent finding of religious vilification by Melbourne public broadcaster 3RRR-FM. In the first such ruling in Australian broadcast history, the ABA charged in February 1996 that Triple R had breached Radio Program Standards on The Liars’ Club by gratuitously vilifying the Church of Scientology, after an ex-Scientologist, Cyril Vosper, appeared as a guest and told of his problems since leaving the organisation. The CLC states in their intensive review of the lengthy ABA report: ‘We consider the ABA’s interpretation of the meaning of ‘gratuitous’ is incorrect. At no point in the decision does the ABA consider any of the controversies that have surrounded the church and whether there was any validity in Vosper’s allegations. ‘Discussion and criticism of religious institutions and the conduct of followers of a religion can be distinguished from criticism and abuse of a religion and its followers on the basis of beliefs. It is true that the ABA is not in a position to pass judgment on the church or to make findings about the truth or otherwise of the allegations, but this does not prevent it from acknowledging that the church has been the subject of debate and controversy, and that therefore, the allegations, when situated within this context, and in the context of Vosper’s ongoing public stance against the church, were not gratuitous.’ It is believed that Triple R will now be approaching the ABA for a review of its ruling citing the points made by the CLC.”

 
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Random Howdy

“Hubbard said that Mohammed was a hustler and a ‘small town booster’ and that the ‘Black Stone’ was a piece of the R6 implant.”

 
——————–

Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Next hearing set for August 9. Trial tentatively scheduled for early November.

Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition to US Supreme Court submitted on May 26. Scientology responded on June 25.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: California Supreme Court granted review on May 26 and asked the Second Appellate Division to direct Judge Steven Kleifield to show cause why he granted Scientology’s motion for arbitration.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Third amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.

Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.

 
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THE PROSECUTION OF DANNY MASTERSON

We first broke the news of the LAPD’s investigation of Scientology celebrity Danny Masterson on rape allegations in 2017, and we’ve been covering the story every step of the way since then. At this page we’ve collected our most important links, including our four days in Los Angeles covering the preliminary hearing and its ruling, which has Danny facing trial and the potential sentence of 45 years to life in prison.

SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.

LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH

An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.

SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z

Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

 
Other links: SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks. Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?

 
——————–

THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] PPP small-business coronavirus bailout loans went to Scientology and Narconon centers
[TWO years ago] How Scientology treats a member in real need strains the notion of the word ‘church’
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s messiah? ‘Hubbard believed he was as great as Jesus, Buddha, & Mohammed’
[FOUR years ago] The Scientology lecture in which L. Ron Hubbard revealed the true name of our Earth society
[FIVE years ago] The Church of Intimidation: Scientology stalks another ex-member on the taxpayer dime
[SIX years ago] Monique Rathbun: Hey, Texas court, here’s something to chew on
[SEVEN years ago] Scientology tries to psych out Florida — and Chill EB is back!
[EIGHT years ago] Alanna Masterson’s Dad Calls Connor Cruise ‘Worst Person in the World’ for Her to Date
[NINE years ago] No Memorial Service for Scientology President’s Son? ‘So Despicable, It’s Almost Beyond Words’
[TEN years ago] ‘Inside Scientology’: Janet Reitman’s Book Tour Starts Off With a Scientologist Challenging Her

 
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——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on July 7, 2021 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele

On Saturday, in anticipation of the L. Ron Hubbard birthday walking tour in Clearwater, we posted a letter from Scientology secretary Glen Stilo to show that the church was really panicking about the tour.

Specifically, Stilo demanded any records of city councilman Mark Bunker’s involvement (Bunker did show up and [...]]]>

On Saturday, in anticipation of the L. Ron Hubbard birthday walking tour in Clearwater, we posted a letter from Scientology secretary Glen Stilo to show that the church was really panicking about the tour.

Specifically, Stilo demanded any records of city councilman Mark Bunker’s involvement (Bunker did show up and filmed the event), and his letter smeared participants Mike Rinder and Marc Headley with the usual distortions.

But Stilo also provided a surprise in that request that we decided to hold back so we could give it a story of its own.

In order to prove that Rinder was “bigoted” against the church, Stilo included a handwritten document that Rinder had sent to his then close friend Mark “Marty” Rathbun.

It’s a fascinating document, and it describes a humorous plot that we’ve written about before.

Rinder, Scientology’s former international spokesman, escaped from the Sea Org in 2007, and went public with his defection in the legendary 2009 project by the Tampa Bay Times, “The Truth Rundown.”

At that time, 2009, Rinder still considered himself a Scientologist (he doesn’t today), and was talking with other “independent” Scientologists about how to raise the profile of indies and make it uncomfortable for church leader David Miscavige.

He told us years ago that he and Robert Almblad came up with a scheme. There was a building for sale in downtown Clearwater. They dreamed up a plan to purchase it and turn it into the first independent Church of Scientology, right under Miscavige’s nose.

Miscavige, of course, could never put up with “apostates” doing such a thing, but even if Miscavige ended up buying the building, they might be able to turn a profit.

“At that time I still considered myself a Scientologist. This was sort of a win-win scenario. Either set up a center right next to the Clearwater Bank building for ‘independent Scientology,’ or if they swooped in and bought a place like they try to do with the Lisa McPherson Trust, then we would take the profit and use it to open up somewhere else,” Mike says.

At some point, Rinder spelled out the idea in a handwritten letter to Rathbun, another former top Scientology official who had ditched the church in 2004. In the letter, Rinder suggested that Rathbun, who lived in South Texas, move to Clearwater to join the plot.

Glen Stilo attached that letter in his records request this past week. It’s a fascinating look at an earlier period when Rinder still considered himself a Scientologist, but also it is yet another confirmation that Marty Rathbun, who at one time had been such a critic of David Miscavige, has not only become a go-to attack dog for the church, but that things given to him in private by other ex-church members are ending up in the hands of Miscavige and the church.

In this case, Rathbun made the letter public at his blog in October. When we checked with Rinder about it this week, he characterized it as a betrayal.

We first confirmed that Rathbun was leaking private communications to him in 2017, when Dani Lemberger revealed to us that a private email he had sent to Rathbun ended up in the hands of church attorneys who tried to use the email against Lemberger in his lawsuit against the church in Israel.

When we confronted Rathbun about it, he called us a name and didn’t deny it. And now, Mike Rinder tells us, a handwritten document he gave Rathbun has ended up in the hands of the church, which is trying to use it against Rinder.

For years, in the period between about 2009 and 2016, many former church members went to Marty Rathbun for aid and comfort after leaving the church. All of those people can now consider that anything they gave Rathbun in confidence is now in the hands of David Miscavige.

As for Rathbun’s long journey from chief Scientology critic to David Miscavige attack dog, please see our extensive history of that trajectory, “Memories of a Scientology warrior: Marty Rathbun’s curious career as church rebel.”

And also, our more recent thoughts about his turn when we put him on the Top 25 People Enabling Scientology at #18.

Mike Rinder's Devious Plan by Tony Ortega

 
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Chynna and Billy have new digs!

Last September Danny Masterson made his first (and so far only) court appearance on the rape charges that have him facing 45 years to life in prison if convicted at trial. And part of the story that day was how things were delayed for hours because Danny had brought a large entourage with him in what was clearly a show of defiance.

Only a few of his group were actually allowed in the courtroom because of Covid rules, and one of them was his brother-in-law, actor Billy Baldwin, who is married to Chynna Phillips, the sister of Danny’s wife Bijou Phillips.

Ever since then we’ve been curious about Billy and Chynna, even though they aren’t Scientologists. Chynna, a born-again Christian, has an over-sharer YouTube channel, and she’s provided some helpful material on it, like the time she had Bijou on and they discussed Danny’s “Strong Island” macho personality.

One of the constant refrains from Chynna is that she and Billy are broke, and that they have been barely getting by during the pandemic, when acting prospects for Billy have been tough to come by.

But then just recently Chynna talked about how the couple had bought a new house, and she provided enough information that we were able to figure out what property they purchased on March 9.

It’s a swank Santa Barbara home that sold for $2.9 million, and records show the Baldwins took out a mortgage for $2.03 million of it. And as she showed her followers the property, Chynna revealed that they plan to do a lot of upgrading to it.

 
Must be nice to be so “broke.”

 
——————–

Leah Remini podcast: ‘Aftermath’ producer Aaron Saidman

Says Mike: “On this week’s episode, we talk to Aaron Saidman, co-founder of production company (IPC) that was brave enough to bring The Aftermath to air.Tune in for some behind-the-scenes insight into the making of the program, how it came about, the impact it had and how the people involved dealt with scientology and their Fair Game.” Listen to the episode right here…

 
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Source Code

“I had a number of US Senators interested in this. As a matter of fact I had the senate dining room one day — I had lots of friends down there in those days, still would have if I went down and stuck my nose in. Every time I do, why they all say, ‘Hey, Ron! Where the hell have you been?’ you know. ‘What’s the matter, you mad at me?’ Something like that. I’d say, ‘Oh, I’ve been busy.’ And I had the senate dining room down there one noon, I remember, along about this period [in 1950]. And you could have heard a toothpick fall from one end of it to the other….I was telling them somebody had found the dynamic principle of existence and I was telling people what it was and so forth. And that place was jammed from one corner to the other with senators and so forth. The next thing you know the table outside of the perimeter of the table I was sitting at with three or four old senators and the table outside that went silent and the table outside that went silent and the table outside that went silent and the next thing you know there wasn’t anything happening in that dining room. The waiters were standing there, see. Darnedest thing you ever wanted to see, you know! And I said, ‘Gee!’ I said, ‘I’ve got a bear by the tail here, you know.’ That was actually before anything much had occurred. They had never heard of this book or anything.” — L. Ron Hubbard, March 16, 1965

 
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Avast, Ye Mateys

“The Apollo is to be in all respects ready for the sea and all port cycles closed by 5:00 PM 18 Mar 69. The civil ‘Nomarch’ of Corfu on irregular lines verbally has ordered our departure in 24 hours despite any unreadiness and without concluding our gyro or safety inspection. We have been given no reason. There may be a connection with the visit of US vessels last week which had a report via their naval attache that we made troops desert. There is no damage really as the AOSH Greece had not really opened and is being reopened at once in Denmark. The situation is under control. There is no danger.” — The Commodore, March 16, 1969

 
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Overheard in the FreeZone

“According to Capt. Bill Robertson, Planet Earth is in the process of being introduced again to the intergalactic community. In order to do that a World Government is needed. The model for the New Civilization and World Government planned for this planet (according to Hubbard and Bill Robertson) is the old Galactic Confederacy of which Earth was a part. Hubbard gave the name of the planets in that old Galactic Confederacy in his movie script ‘Revolt in the Stars.’ Galactic Confederation member stars: Sirius, Canopus, Alpha Centauri, Vega, Capella, Arcturus, Rigel, Procyon, Achernar, Beta Centauri, Altair, Betelgeuse, Acrux, Aldebaran, Pollux, Spica, Antares, Fomalhaut, Deneb, Regulus, and Sol.”

 
——————–

Past is Prologue

1996: In response to numerous requests by a.r.s posters for legally obtained copies of the NOTS processing levels, Scientology attorney Helena Kobrin has been again sending legal threats via email and Usenet. “The purpose of this posting is to inform you that on March 21, 1996 at 5:12 p.m., Judge Ronald M. Whyte of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California issued the following Temporary Restraining Order against Ward and SCAMIZDAT prohibiting them and anyone in active concert or participation with them from, among other things, acquiring, reproducing, displaying these materials. By this electronic communication, you are being formally placed on notice of the above order and its terms. As Ward and SCAMIZDAT have solicited copies of the NOTs materials, your attention is specifically called to the fact that the order specifically prohibits, among other things, the acquisition of the NOTs materials.”

 
——————–

Random Howdy

“Before today I considered Miscavige a cynical manipulating sociopath, and they’re a dime a dozen. Now he seems to be more the dangerously insane Idi Amin-style dictator. This doesn’t bode well for the future.”

 
——————–

Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Masterson arraigned Jan 20. Next conf to set prelim, March 24.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing delayed to April 13.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Trial scheduled for May 20 in Los Angeles
— David Gentile, GPB Capital, fraud: Charged in Brooklyn federal court on Feb 4. Arraigned on Feb 9. Pretrial conference set for Apr 29.

Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Petition for writ of mandate denied Oct 22 by Cal 2nd Appellate District. Petition for review by state supreme court denied Dec 11.
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Dec 30, Judge Kleifield granted Scientology’s motions to compel arbitration. June 7: Status conference.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach tax debt: Eleventh Circuit ruled on Sept 9 that Feshbachs can’t discharge IRS debt in bankruptcy. Dec 17: Feshbachs sign court judgment obliging them to pay entire $3.674 million tax debt, plus interest from Nov 19.
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Second amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021.
— Author Steve Cannane defamation trial: Trial concluded, Cannane victorious, awarded court costs. Case appealed on Dec 24.

Concluded litigation:
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29. Bond revoked Sep 14. Nobbe dead, Sep 14.
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.

 
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SCIENTOLOGY BLACK OPS: Tom Cruise and dirty tricks

The Australian Seven News network cancelled a 10-part investigation of Scientology and its history of dirty tricks. Read the transcripts of the episodes and judge for yourself why Tom Cruise and Tommy Davis might not have wanted viewers to see this hard-hitting series by journalist Bryan Seymour.

SCIENTOLOGY: FAIR GAME

After the success of their double-Emmy-winning, three-season A&E series ‘Scientology and the Aftermath,’ Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue the conversation on their podcast, ‘Scientology: Fair Game.’ We’ve created a landing page where you can hear all of the episodes so far.

LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH

An episode-by-episode guide to Leah Remini’s three-season, double-Emmy winning series that changed everything for Scientology watching. Originally aired from 2016 to 2019 on the A&E network, and now on Netflix.

SCIENTOLOGY’S CELEBRITIES, from A to Z

Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

 
Other links: Scientology’s Ideal Orgs, from one end of the planet to the other. Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society. Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in a weekly series. How many have you read?

 
——————–

THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] To help us get through the pandemic, L. Ron Hubbard’s words of Scientology wisdom
[TWO years ago] Miss America organization says it’s looking into Scientology’s use of Miss New York
[THREE years ago] Hey, IRS: You might want to look at this new photo Scientology posted of David Miscavige
[FOUR years ago] Understanding Marty Rathbun: For the first time, his full deposition of 2014
[FIVE years ago] Ron Miscavige book out in May: ‘Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me’
[SIX years ago] Mareka Brousseau on the degradations of Scientology’s Sea Org life
[SEVEN years ago] With Scientology’s ‘disconnection’ policy finally hitting the mainstream, here’s more to consider
[EIGHT years ago] Xenu the The Movie Star! When Scientology Almost Revealed Its Secrets on the Big Screen
[NINE years ago] Scientology on the High Seas: Hubbard Claims Victory Over the U.S. Navy

 
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——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on March 16, 2021 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2020 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2020), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 15 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele

 In 2011 we spent the month of August counting down a list of the “Top 25 People Crippling Scientology.” Nine years later, Scientology is still hurting, but church leader David Miscavige learned long ago that paid membership was only one resource that kept him in business. He also relies on a small army of enablers, [...]]]>

 
In 2011 we spent the month of August counting down a list of the “Top 25 People Crippling Scientology.” Nine years later, Scientology is still hurting, but church leader David Miscavige learned long ago that paid membership was only one resource that kept him in business. He also relies on a small army of enablers, some paid, some not, who help him stay in business even though they aren’t Scientologists themselves. So we thought we’d recognize them with this countdown.

Nine years ago, former top Scientology enforcer Mark “Marty” Rathbun wrote a fiery article that was typical of his blog at that time.

In that piece which he posted on June 20, 2011, Marty wrote about how Tiziano Lugli, a former Scientologist, had been betrayed by someone he had considered a close friend, a motivational speaker and major Scientology donor named Grant Cardone.

Cardone made the status of IAS Gold Meritorious by donating $1,000,000 to [Scientology leader David] Miscavige’s war fund. The same fund that enables my home to be surveilled 24/7 for the past two years, for Mike [Rinder] and I to be followed and harassed by teams of PI’s and OT Ambassadors (high level Scientologists) everywhere we go with the intent of suppressing FACTS about Miscavige’s felonies becoming public. It is now funding the active harassment and intimidation of my PCs and pre-OTs. Grant’s grants are funding the active suppression of the freedom of religion, the freedom of association, and the freedom of speech right here on American soil.

Rathbun, who titled his article “Grant Cardone – Turnaround or Turncoat King?” was particularly incensed that Cardone had turned his back on Lugli simply because Tiziano had decided to leave Scientology.

Cardone screwed a very close friend of mine for having the courage to stand out of line to do something about the wholesale abuses of Miscavige and his cult. Tiziano Lugli’s story is by now well know to those who frequent this blog. It was told in summary in the following post. Tiziano considered Cardone a friend. After the church spent weeks flying around the world attempting to splinter Tiziano’s family, Tiziano attempted to have one last word with this friends to tell his side of the story before he was excommunicated and the DISCONNECTION policy was put into full force. Cardone was one of those who DISCONNECTED on the orders of David Miscavige before Tiziano was even declared. There apparently is nothing Cardone won’t do for David Miscavige.

We cite this piece because we want to remind you who Marty Rathbun was in 2011. At the time, he was not only a top former Scientology official who had dedicated himself to exposing David Miscavige’s abuses, we told our readers at the Village Voice that Rathbun’s blog was the single greatest threat to Miscavige’s ongoing tenure as leader of the Scientology movement, and we meant it.

Rathbun not only exposed Miscavige day after day, he also fiercely defended his close friends, like Lugli and Rinder, who like him were risking their livelihoods to take on Scientology’s legendary retaliation machine, and each of them paid for it with years of hellacious treatment by Scientology’s private investigators.

Today, nine years later, Marty Rathbun makes videos slandering Mike Rinder and Leah Remini and the people who have appeared on Leah’s television show in a garish display that makes Cardone’s turncoat betrayal pale in comparison.

Incredibly, there are still a few former Scientologists who defend Rathbun and promote the ludicrous notion that Rathbun is exploring some “middle path” between the Church of Scientology on the one hand and the “anti-Scientology cult” on the other. If you’re still laboring under that delusion, we’d ask you once again to review that piece written by Rathbun about how he and Tiziano Lugli and Mike Rinder were so righteously fighting the outrageous freedom-hating troops corralled by David Miscavige.

Marty Rathbun now makes videos filled with lies that slime Leah Remini and Mike Rinder and your proprietor and others that are then used by David Miscavige in Scientology’s social media feeds.

When we asked Rathbun if he was being paid for the use of his videos, he didn’t answer us.

But he really didn’t need to. We’d already caught him red-handed when we discovered that he had passed along an email sent to him in confidence by another former Church of Scientology member, Dani Lemberger, to Scientology attorneys so they could use it against Lemberger in a court case.

Rathbun, in other words, was working as an active agent for Scientology, and again, he had no excuse for it when we tried to get him to explain himself. (And just think of all the material he was able to turn over to Miscavige in 2016 after ex-Scientologists had been trusting him with their secrets for almost a decade.)

Marty Rathbun is probably not a member of the Church of Scientology today, but there’s simply no question that he’s working for Miscavige. For how much? We don’t know.

Marty himself claimed in 2011 that he had no price…

The cult has two weapons and two weapons only: a) harassment to a degree unprecedented in a civilized society, and b) money to buy the victim of “a” when he is put into an amenable frame of mind. Just so everybody knows, as Miscavige just won’t seem to get it through his head, I will never fold to any pressure no matter how intense, and I am not for sale – at any price.

That’s truly an amazing passage considering what ensued, isn’t it?

So, we are asked again and again, what the hell happened to Marty Rathbun?

We have already traced the lengthy arc of Marty’s transformation from critic to lapdog in a piece that reviewed the entire history of his blog. Please, if you truly want to understand how Rathbun got from there to here, you need to review that history. One of the most important pieces of that narrative, of course, is that in 2013 Marty’s wife Monique Rathbun filed a harassment lawsuit against Miscavige and the church that, by 2015, had resulted in a major appellate decision and in a state, Texas, that hadn’t spent decades as a doormat to Scientology like California and Florida. After that appellate decision, our experts told us, Monique’s lawsuit was about to visit major pain on Scientology and might even have put David Miscavige in a witness chair. But then, early in 2016, without any explanation or visible reason, Monique fired her entire legal team and then dismissed the lawsuit while slandering her attorneys in court papers, and Marty called down holy hell on anyone who dared to ask them what the hell they were the thinking.

And the questions and the speculating have never stopped, so last year we wrote a challenge for those putting together theories about Rathbun’s fall which we think still stands up. Here it is, in its entirety…

I know it’s been a while so people are going to forget some of what happened. And people are going to speculate, there’s no stopping it. So, OK, if you’re going to guess about what happened to the Rathbuns, just keep in mind that your theory has to account for these facts:

1. When the lawsuit was going, they had strong court protection against further harassment by Scientology, and that protection would have stayed in place as long as it took the judge to make a decision about a permanent injunction. (So, “they quit because they couldn’t handle the harassment” is bullshit.)

2. By the time Monique fired the attorneys, their adoption of a child was already permanent. Miscavige could not have done anything about it. As far as shielding the child, please keep in mind that Mike Rinder, Tom DeVocht, John Brousseau and Mareka Backus, the Headleys and others all have had young children while going through intense Scientology harassment and none of them caved.

3. The reason the blackmail idea is weak is that, again, the Rathbuns were under court protection, and if Miscavige privately told Marty he had dark material from his past to use against him, that would have got Miscavige and his team in a WORLD of hurt in court. Miscavige isn’t dumb enough to risk that. Forget the blackmail theory. It doesn’t work.

4. Please keep in mind who Marty was. He was once the #2 guy in a worldwide organization who was not used to playing nice with others. Look at his blog. It drove him crazy that other indies didn’t simply agree with what he was saying all the time. Imagine what he was like with his own attorneys. If you want to explain why Marty did what he did, please stop trying to find a “reasonable” explanation that would make sense if YOU were in his shoes. You weren’t. It was Marty Rathbun, the chosen one who was electroshocked as a fetus and went exterior on a basketball court before he even had heard of Scientology.

5. Stop giving Louis Theroux so much credit. By the time Marty filmed “My Scientology Movie,” he had already made some key steps to his flip/flop (some of which I can’t go into yet). Yes, in the movie you are getting a hint at what he’s going through, but the movie didn’t CAUSE his transformation. Just keep that in mind.

6. Adding one more: This wasn’t just a case of the Rathbuns giving up on a lawsuit. They actively harmed their own attorneys, who had spent three years working for them for free. And not only did they prevent them from getting any compensation for their work, they submitted documents BLAMING the attorneys for things the attorneys did not do. This was not just walking away from a lawsuit. It also included harming the people who had worked so hard for them, for years. So make sure to figure that into your calculation. OK, now, theorize all you want.

 
The Top 25 People Enabling Scientology

3: The judges
4: The LAPD

 
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Source Code

“One court in Virginia, they proved conclusively that Scientology was a healing science, because it cured things, and actually brought people into court to show that they had been cured of something by Scientology, which proved it was a healing cience, and gave some, and I don’t even think though they had the nerve to call the auditor in and sentence him. I think he remains unsentenced to this day. It was just too much nonsense, you see. In other words, they can go clear around the line. That proves we’re a healing subject, you see. Wild business. Look the length and breadth of the land, I don’t think they could have found anybody who’d been healed by anything on medicine. But they were proving our cases for us.” — L. Ron Hubbard, August 29, 1963

 
——————–

Overheard in the FreeZone

“We are getting into the nooks and crannies of LRH’s mind. Few have done that before.”

 
——————–

Random Howdy

“After the horrorshow called Jonestown and the government-led debacle at Waco, no one has to wonder at the government’s reluctance to revisit Cultland. The only reason they got involved with FLDS was because of the rampant pedophilia. And even with that righteous justification, the Feds got all kinds of shit from the religious right wing in this country.”

 
——————–

Full Court Press: What we’re watching at the Underground Bunker

Criminal prosecutions:
— Danny Masterson charged for raping three women: Arraignment scheduled for September 18.
— Jay and Jeff Spina, Medicare fraud: Jay’s sentencing is set for August 27 in White Plains, NY, but attorneys are asking it be moved back. Jeffrey’s is set for October 24.
— Hanan and Rizza Islam and other family members, Medi-Cal fraud: Next pretrial conference set for Jan 12 in Los Angeles
— Dennis Nobbe, Medicare fraud, PPP loan fraud: Charged July 29

Civil litigation:
— Luis and Rocio Garcia v. Scientology: Oral arguments were heard on July 30 at the Eleventh Circuit
— Valerie Haney v. Scientology: Forced to ‘religious arbitration.’ Motion for reconsideration denied on August 11
— Chrissie Bixler et al. v. Scientology and Danny Masterson: Sept 4 (CSI/RTC demurrer against Riales, Masterson demurrer), Oct 7-19 (motions to compel arbitration)
— Jane Doe v. Scientology (in Miami): Jane Doe dismissed the lawsuit on May 15 after the Clearwater Police dropped their criminal investigation of her allegations.
— Matt and Kathy Feschbach bankruptcy appeal: Oral arguments were heard on March 11 in Jacksonville
— Brian Statler Sr v. City of Inglewood: Amended complaint filed, trial set for Nov 9, 2021. Plaintiffs granted permission to file changes to amended complaint by Sept 4.

 
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Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!

Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?

 
——————–

THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Another legal fight brewing over Scientology’s refusal to return future payments
[TWO years ago] Some countries force Scientology to open the books: Here’s one report on how bad business is
[THREE years ago] LIVE FROM SAN ANTONIO: Will a former Scientology enforcer be compelled to testify?
[FOUR years ago] A Scientologist on the ballot: OC candidate keeping mum about his anti-psych work
[FIVE years ago] Louisiana congressman posts Narconon pic, then yanks it after we point out Scientology link
[SIX years ago] Scientology yesterday and today: Reports from Mark Bunker and Dennis Erlich
[SEVEN years ago] What the Daily News Left Out of its Story on Scientology in Harlem
[EIGHT years ago] Court Testimony: Narconon Intentionally Deceived a Florida Drug Court About Its Licensing
[NINE years ago] The Top 25 People Crippling Scientology, No. 15: Andreas Heldal-Lund

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on August 29, 2020 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2019 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2019), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, 14 years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news | Battling Babe-Hounds: Ross Jeffries v. R. Don Steele

[NOTE: For coverage of the stabbing at a Scientology facility in Australia, please see the story we posted last night.]

Last week, the New York Post discovered in a court filing that Allison Mack’s attorneys had cited a dismissed lawsuit against Scientology in their defense of the Smallville actress.

The news blew [...]]]>

[NOTE: For coverage of the stabbing at a Scientology facility in Australia, please see the story we posted last night.]

Last week, the New York Post discovered in a court filing that Allison Mack’s attorneys had cited a dismissed lawsuit against Scientology in their defense of the Smallville actress.

The news blew up over the weekend, with headlines like “Allison Mack’s Lawyers Use Scientology to Prove It’s Not a Crime to Blackmail People” and “Allison Mack offers novel ‘Scientology did it first’ defense to counter all those sex cult allegations.”

It was a laugh riot.

Mack is facing 15 years in prison for allegations that she helped to secure sex slaves for Keith Raniere, the leader of the “NXIVM” movement, as part of a special all-woman branch known as “DOS.”

“As a pre-condition to joining DOS, women were required to provide ‘collateral,’ which included highly damaging information about friends and family members, nude photographs and/or rights to the recruit’s assets,” the DOJ said when it unsealed its indictment against Mack in April. “According to court filings, Mack directly or implicitly required her slaves, including Jane Does 1 and 2, as identified in the Indictment, to engage in sexual activity with Raniere. In exchange for this, Mack received financial and other benefits from Raniere. Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 believed that if they did not participate in those activities with Raniere, their collateral would be released.”

Among the charges Mack is facing is the allegation that her use of blackmail to convince women to sleep with Raniere amounted to “forced labor” under US criminal trafficking statutes.

But in their motion, filed in November, Mack’s attorneys said that none of that “collateral” had ever been released, and even if it had, the worst thing these women faced was some embarrassment in the short term. They argued that the women didn’t face “serious harm” in Raniere and Mack’s scheme, and so therefore it didn’t meet the requirements of the law regarding forced labor.

To bolster their case, they cited the 2009 lawsuit filed by Marc and Claire Headley against the Church of Scientology. The Headleys alleged that as Sea Org members at Scientology’s “Int Base” near Hemet, California, they had been subjected to horrific treatment while they were paid almost nothing in what amounted to indentured servitude. But their lawsuit was dismissed and it was upheld by the Ninth Circuit, which found that the Headleys, as badly as they were treated, had the ability to leave, and so they didn’t meet the “serious harm” standard.

“The court emphasized that the plaintiffs joined and voluntarily worked for Sea Org because they believed it was the right thing to do,” Mack’s attorneys said in its court filing that cited the Headley case.

Allison Mack’s victims, in other words, didn’t face “serious harm” because they knew what they were getting into.

Yeah, no wonder the media howled over that one.

But how about the Headleys? How did they feel about being pulled into the Mack defense?

“I think this is an excellent example of how Scientology’s ‘win’ against us is now backfiring on them again,” Marc tells us. “Scientology is now in the news again because of another cult that is hiding behind Scientology’s legal ‘victory’.”

Headley also saw the humor in linking Scientology to Mack’s specific allegations.

“It is kind of ironic that a cult with sex slaves ends up hiding behind Scientology’s legal precedents,” he says. “For anyone who has read my book, Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology, you know that [Scientology leader] David Miscavige has a thing for finding out about the sex lives of Scientologists and specifically Sea Org members, which they confess to in auditing sessions. He would often disclose the content of these confessions in meetings with others while the person he was talking about was in attendance.

“Birds of a feather and all that. A song by Soft Cell comes to mind now when I think of Miscavige.”

 
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Marty Rathbun at Miscavige’s beck and call

 
We told you yesterday that Scientology had, right on schedule, posted a swipe at this week’s guests on Leah Remini’s Scientology and the Aftermath, former church members Bert Schippers and Paul Burkhart.

We were so focused on those smears that we only later took a close look at the new video the church posted on the same page. It’s another attack on Mike Rinder with the usual drama about the time in 2010 when his ex-wife Cathy Bernardini and several other people ambushed him in a Florida parking lot, there was a scuffle, Bernardini was injured, and the police found that any injury had resulted from “incidental contact” in the confusing scrum. With nothing else they can throw at him, Scientology tries to convince people that Bernardini’s injured arm is proof that Rinder is a “wife-beater” and that A&E should fire him. Every time they tell it, the story gets worse and worse, and this time they actually filmed a re-creation with blood streaming down an actresses’s arm.

In other words, it’s the usual Scientology nonsense that is so patently overhyped and ridiculous, absolutely no one will pay it any mind.

However, what did interest us is that Mark “Marty” Rathbun was trotted out to take a swipe at his old friend Rinder and at Leah Remini. And although it looks and sounds just like the same sad litany of smears that Rathbun has been putting out for three years now, we think this is actually a small bit of new material.

In the video, Rinder is ridiculed for being seen to nod his head in agreement with Remini — the church even fashioned a bobblehead toy of Rinder to make the point — and Rathbun obliges in his short segment:

He’s saying less and less, and just sagely nodding and confirming what Leah Remini’s saying. And of course Leah Remini’s in no position of expertise on these things she’s talking about. And so she’ll just create facts, and Mike Rinder will acknowledge it and say, ‘Exactly right, Leah,’ or ‘Absolutely, I agree with you a hundred percent,’ or simply nod…

Rinder, who knows everything he’s saying is absolute, unadulterated bullshit, right? And how do I know that Mike Rinder knows that it’s absolute and unadulterated bullshit? From Mike Rinder himself.

Well, we’re no longer surprised at how far Rathbun has fallen after his career as a Scientology rebel. But we still can’t help wondering what Rathbun gets out of the bargain as he jumps into his suit for the cameras when Miscavige needs him to bark like a seal.

 
——————–

Start making your plans!

 
——————–

Scientology’s celebrities, ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and more!

We’ve been building landing pages about David Miscavige’s favorite playthings, including celebrities and ‘Ideal Orgs,’ and we’re hoping you’ll join in and help us gather as much information as we can about them. Head on over and help us with links and photos and comments.

Scientology’s celebrities, from A to Z! Find your favorite Hubbardite celeb at this index page — or suggest someone to add to the list!

Scientology’s ‘Ideal Orgs,’ from one end of the planet to the other! Help us build up pages about each these worldwide locations!

Scientology’s sneaky front groups, spreading the good news about L. Ron Hubbard while pretending to benefit society!

Scientology Lit: Books reviewed or excerpted in our weekly series. How many have you read?

 
——————–

THE WHOLE TRACK

[ONE year ago] Conan O’Brien to Danny Masterson in ’04, after rape claim was settled: ‘I’ve heard about you’
[TWO years ago] ‘Leah Remini’: Aaron Smith-Levin on how families get so screwed up in Scientology
[THREE years ago] Scientology’s state of the union, 2016: Former spokesman Mike Rinder predicts ‘more pain’
[FOUR years ago] Jon Atack: What it’s like for the Scientologist who gives up the dream of being superhuman
[FIVE years ago] Another Scientology video you aren’t supposed to see: ‘The Command of Theta’
[SEVEN years ago] Panic: Former Scientology executive dares to question church management

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on January 3, 2019 at 07:00

E-mail tips to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We also post updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our new book with Paulette Cooper, Battlefield Scientology: Exposing L. Ron Hubbard’s dangerous ‘religion’ is now on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats. Our book about Paulette, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2017 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Underground Bunker (2012-2017), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Other links: BLOGGING DIANETICS: Reading Scientology’s founding text cover to cover | UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists | GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice | SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts | Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Watch our short videos that explain Scientology’s controversies in three minutes or less…

Check your whale level at our dedicated page for status updates, or join us at the Underground Bunker’s Facebook discussion group for more frivolity.

Our non-Scientology stories: Robert Burnham Jr., the man who inscribed the universe | Notorious alt-right inspiration Kevin MacDonald and his theories about Jewish DNA | The selling of the “Phoenix Lights” | Astronomer Harlow Shapley‘s FBI file | Sex, spies, and local TV news

We heard from a lot of readers who were impressed by the candor and class exhibited by Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis in a piece he wrote for us that we published on Saturday.

In that piece, Haggis, who appeared last week in an explosive episode of A&E’s Leah Remini: Scientology and [...]]]>

We heard from a lot of readers who were impressed by the candor and class exhibited by Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis in a piece he wrote for us that we published on Saturday.

In that piece, Haggis, who appeared last week in an explosive episode of A&E’s Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, wanted us to have enough background to understand why the Church of Scientology’s reaction to that show had stunned him in one particular way.

Haggis explained that when he was leaving the church in 2009, he and former top-ranking church member Mark “Marty” Rathbun had worked out with another defector, actor Jason Beghe, some code names for their encrypted conversations in Hushmail to keep the church and its spies from learning who else they were talking to, which included several Scientologists who didn’t want their disaffection known.

Haggis adopted the name “Collero,” after a character from one of his television shows. Rathbun used the name “Lightning” after a musician he admired. Only the few people in these email conversations knew that they were using those handles.

But then, on Tuesday, when the episode of Leah Remini’s show aired, the Church of Scientology posted an attack on Haggis that quoted briefly from one of those secret emails he had sent Rathbun, and used those names, Collero and Lightning.

 
For Haggis, the conclusion was inescapable. Either Rathbun’s encrypted Hushmail account had been hacked and the emails stolen, or Rathbun had fed them voluntarily to the Church of Scientology.

We reminded readers that since Rathbun’s bizarre 180-turn regarding Scientology criticism, there was an earlier case involving another private email that Rathbun had turned over to the Church of Scientology — and we knew about that because it was the church’s own attorney, in a court hearing, who said that Rathbun had turned it over to him.

In that case, the email had been sent to Rathbun by an Israeli Scientologist, Dani Lemberger, in which he admitted to fantasizing about killing Scientology leader David Miscavige. Several years after sending that email, Lemberger was suing the church in Israel, and Scientology’s attorney there, Mattan Ben Shaul, a partner in a prestigious Tel Aviv firm, said during his cross-examination of Lemberger in a January court hearing that he had called up Rathbun and had obtained the potentially damaging email from him.

It would be extremely unusual — even potentially career-ending, our experts tell us — for a law partner here or in Israel to lie about such a transaction in front of a judge in an open court hearing. The chances that Ben Shaul would lie about talking to Rathbun and receiving the email from him in order to cover for the church stealing it from Rathbun are vanishingly small.

And now, Paul Haggis has come to the same conclusion about the church publicly outing the code names that he and Rathbun used:

A hack of encrypted emails is highly unlikely, which leaves us with the only other option. By blurting out information they could only get by reading our emails, by revealing the names Collero and Lightning, the church itself has announced that Marty is providing them confidential information and actively colluding with the church.

Haggis went on to make an open appeal to Rathbun directly…

At one point you took a courageous stand. It is hard for me to watch what you are doing now, knowing who you were, even for a brief time. If you ever decide to come clean, I will be here for you, as you were for me. And I protect my friends.

To our surprise, late Saturday night Rathbun responded at his blog, which had been inactive since August 31.

We ignored Rathbun’s personal attacks, told in his characteristic tortured syntax, and focused on how he responded to Haggis’s accusation that he had fed their secret emails to the church. (The church quoted a brief part of one email on its “Leah Remini — Aftermath: After Money” website, which attacks the show and the people on it, and which carries a copyright by the Church of Scientology International.)

In his response, Rathbun addressed that accusation in two different places:

“One would think Haggis has been raped and left for dead because one partial sentence of an email he authored made it onto a website that did not genuflect to his phony victimhood narrative.”

and

“The self-anointed king of transparency is squealing like a stuck pig over a sentence of an email authored by him seeing the light of day.”

Instead of denying that he was the church’s source for the email, or revealing that the email had been stolen from him in a hacking attack, Rathbun was ridiculing Haggis for complaining about his private, sensitive material being made public.

And worse: Rathbun decided to make the entire email public on his website, and it included one name of a recipient who was not Rathbun, Haggis, or Beghe.

In other words, Rathbun had just outed one of the disaffected Scientologists that in 2009 he and Haggis and Beghe were trying so hard to keep the church from knowing about.

“He appears to be doing exactly what I warned he would – revealing another friend’s involvement that we all swore to keep secret,” Haggis told us last night.

“And to those who still think he was hacked – if that was the case, you really don’t think Marty would even mention it?” Haggis added. “You or I – or frankly anyone – would be pretty upset to discover we’d been hacked and to see our private emails and confidential info being used on the web – by Scientology or anyone else. So what’s the logic to that defense? That Marty just doesn’t care?”

Yesterday morning we sent an email to Rathbun, pointing out that he had twice referred to Haggis’s email being made public by the church without denying that he was the source of it.

We asked him if he was being compensated for turning over private emails to the Church of Scientology. And we asked him if such payments were behind his decision, on August 19, to create a new limited liability corporation with his wife Monique, a corporation they named Wimoma LLC.

We’ll let you know if he gets back to us.

“People should read Marty’s rant,” says Mike Rinder, who was formerly very close to Rathbun after they both left the church and went public with accusations of abuse by its leader, David Miscavige, but who now is a target for Rathbun’s slickly-produced videos. “It’s just a stream of name-calling that would make Scientology’s Freedom magazine proud, while protesting, apparently without irony, about ad hominem attacks. Marty is his own worst enemy, following the well-worn path of Miscavige and Scientology. They constantly prove what they stand accused of by their actions in response. Marty actually recommends that if people don’t see things his way, their ‘only realistic hope’ is to partake in a few hundred hours of Scientology objective processing. That says it all. I wonder if [Scientology social media propagandist] John Alex Wood has taken over his blog?”

Rathbun has not responded to our multiple questions about just what his current relationship with the church is. Highlights from his videos are being used in ads that the church pays to air on YouTube and Twitter, but Rathbun has not acknowledged whether he is being paid for them.

Whatever that relationship, there’s no question that on his own website, Rathbun has taken a step that for years, he and his former friends promised never to do.

“I truly don’t understand how Marty can rationalize this betrayal,” Haggis says. “He personally swore to this person he would never reveal his identity, as did Jason and I. This is a sweet man who never went public and was afraid what would happen if he did, but he wanted to help by personally sharing the story of his harrowing escape from Scientology, one that quite literally left him scarred, with a gash on his face from the barbed wire he was forced to drive through. His story had a great impact on me, and I thought Marty. A year after confiding in us, he suffered a debilitating stroke. He and I remained in contact throughout his hospitalization and recovery. He lost his job and his marriage dissolved, and when he moved several years later I lost contact with him as well. The only thing this person ever asked of us was anonymity. Have a good sleep, Marty.”

 
Our previous coverage of Marty Rathbun…

March 9: As Louis Theroux’s ‘My Scientology Movie’ hits U.S., troubling news of co-star Marty Rathbun
March 14: Memories of a Scientology warrior: Marty Rathbun’s curious career as church rebel
June 9: Thanks for the slick videos, Marty Rathbun. Here’s a not very slick one for you.
June 14: Marty Rathbun tries to rewrite the record on Scientology spying. But we have the dox.
June 15: Marty Rathbun, Victoria Britton has a question for you about Scientology and judges
June 16: Marty Rathbun’s project becomes clear: Someone’s worried about Scientology & the IRS
June 17: Paul Haggis: Marty Rathbun is using private info I gave him against Lawrence Wright
June 20: John Brousseau: Marty Rathbun is putting words in my mouth about the FBI’s Scientology probe
June 29: HowdyCon: Aussie journalist Steve Cannane’s response to Marty Rathbun
July 24: Ray Jeffrey to judge: Order Rathbuns to turn over financial records and testify
Aug 29: LIVE FROM SAN ANTONIO: Will a former Scientology enforcer be compelled to testify?
Sept 13: Ford Greene responds to Marty Rathbun, and brings up a previous Scientology secret deal
Sept 23: Director Paul Haggis pens an open letter to Marty Rathbun after Scientology’s latest smear

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 25, 2017 at 07:00

E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2016 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2016), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield

Yesterday, we received this remarkable piece of writing from Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis. His appearance on this week’s Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath resulted in, predictably, a full-throated attack from the Church of Scientology. But something in that attempt to smear him stunned Haggis. We’ll let him explain…

Tony,

I barely skimmed [...]]]>

Yesterday, we received this remarkable piece of writing from Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis. His appearance on this week’s Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath resulted in, predictably, a full-throated attack from the Church of Scientology. But something in that attempt to smear him stunned Haggis. We’ll let him explain…

Tony,

I barely skimmed Scientology’s latest ad hominem attack on me this week. The church, quite paradoxically, largely relied upon their “arch-enemy,” Marty Rathbun, to supposedly discredit me. No one will be shocked to learn it is full of lies and blatant misrepresentations. Mike Rinder already dissected their non-responsive response and Marty’s flip-flopping assertions. But one thing stuck out to me which you may find interesting, so I will give you a little background.

Marty now claims that he masterminded my resignation from beginning to end, suggesting that my outrage over the Church’s support of Prop 8 was a smokescreen. He ignores the fact that my months-long battle with Tommy Davis and the church began in October 2008, more than six months before Marty and I had any contact.

When the Church’s executives descended on my office to handle me, I refused to reveal the names of those with whom I’d communicated. Every single one of those people, including Marty, asked me to keep their role secret – and I honored those requests. Marty, for his part, was already the subject of fierce attacks from Scientology, and didn’t need to fan those flames. If the church learned that Marty was reaching out to try and “turn” their celebs, those flames would have turned into a blast furnace. You saw what happened to him in the years that followed. So, from the time Marty sent an anonymous email to me in the summer of 2009 – at a point where I was already realizing I had to resign – until a few months ago, I kept his role secret. I thought I was protecting a friend, someone who had truly helped me.

I could not have fathomed that Marty would flip again, and return to his role of being Scientology’s attack dog, for reasons only he knows. Now Marty suggests that my agreement to protect him is “proof” that everything I said in my letter of resignation, and to Lawrence Wright, is a lie. That’s rather remarkable logic.

I will let you be the judge of Marty’s credibility.

That aside, Marty does deserve some of the credit he seeks. Through his anonymous email, he directed me to look at the articles in the St Pete Times. Later he helped me get in touch with an old friend in the Church who had disappeared, and had a story he’d never told – and didn’t want to tell anyone but me. I truly appreciated Marty’s help and support.

But if one is to be fair, the person who truly deserves credit is Jason Beghe – a fact I have likewise never revealed, but am quite sure Jason will not object to me doing so now. Jason is the one who pulled Marty out of his depression and got him to start his website; Jason is the one who gave Marty my email address and suggested that I was the kind of person who might be willing to open his eyes if made aware of the abuses within the church. Marty, I had never even met. Jason I instinctively trusted.

I had worked with Jason a few years before, and always liked him – although you couldn’t describe us as friends. Like most Scientologists, I had my head buried in the sand and actually didn’t even know Jason had left the church.

Jason is the one I met at Patrick’s Roadhouse after reading the St Pete Times article; Jason is the one who put me in touch with another “source” who was afraid to tell their story; it was Jason’s example that gave me the strength to start on the path that lead me to resign. At that time, the church was waging all-out war on him for the interview he’d done – doing everything in their power to destroy his life and ruin his career. I was deeply moved by his courage and integrity, and quietly helped him get through that time, and several months later cast him in my movie, when I was under the threat of being declared.

Including Marty and Jason, I met with a total of six people who had first-hand information about outrageous wrong-doing within the church. Marty knew two of them.

All this is preamble to something interesting I noticed in Scientology’s attack piece on me this week. It was something they inserted that only I would understand. I assume it was a veiled warning, some attempt to intimidate me – as I am the only person who would understand the significance.

It was the mention of the names “Collero” and “Lightning.”

As I said earlier, when Marty and I first started communicating, he was doing so through an anonymous, encrypted Hushmail account. Rather than use his real name, he decided to call himself Lightning, the name of a blues musician he admired, Lightning Hopkins. Marty went to great lengths to keep his activities secret from the church, and to protect his identity.

Marty had a right to be apprehensive. He had first-hand knowledge of what Scientology does to its enemies, having been personally involved in many of the church’s dirty tricks and covert missions. By his own admission, he had lied on behalf of the church, chased down those who’d tried to escape from Scientology’s secretive base, and even destroyed evidence in a criminal case. He was, as he has described himself, a Scientology Warrior. So, perhaps he had more than one reason for choosing the name Lightning.

Back in 2009, whenever I wrote to Marty I used my own private email account, named after a minor character I loved from a TV series I created years ago.

The name was Collero.

There are three people in this world who know those two names. Marty, Jason, and myself. I would bet my life Jason wouldn’t reveal that; I certainly didn’t.

Which means that, in that attack piece, the Church of Scientology just admitted to one of two things: either they hacked personal emails, or Mark “Marty” Rathbun has supplied the church with my personal email communications. There are no other possibilities.

What I have written here will be of little interest to most people, but it will be of interest to some; perhaps to those who are trying to make the case that Marty took a secret, possibly even illegal, payoff from the church – to stop attacking David Miscavige, and start attacking Marty’s former “friends,” like Tony Ortega, Leah Remini, Mike Rinder, and myself.

A hack of encrypted emails is highly unlikely, which leaves us with the only other option. By blurting out information they could only get by reading our emails, by revealing the names Collero and Lightning, the church itself has announced that Marty is providing them confidential information and actively colluding with the church.

I never told Larry Wright or anyone else the names of the people who gave me information to help me make my decision to resign from the church. I kept their names out of it, as I did with Marty’s. To the two people whose names Marty knows, I am sorry to have to inform you that, in all likelihood, anything you ever wrote or said to Marty is most likely in the hands of Scientology’s Office of Special Affairs.

Several months ago, before Marty started his series of attack videos on Going Clear and later Aftermath, I wrote a short note to Marty. Like others, I’d grown concerned about Marty’s state of mind. I just decided to write to thank him for everything he did for me, in helping me face a difficult choice, and to tell him I would be forever grateful.

I never received a response.

So, now I write this note: Marty, I don’t know what you are doing or what you hope to gain by it, but I am afraid it is going to explode in your face. At one point you took a courageous stand. It is hard for me to watch what you are doing now, knowing who you were, even for a brief time. If you ever decide to come clean, I will be here for you, as you were for me. And I protect my friends.

 
— Paul Haggis

 
We want to supplement Paul’s point by noting that in March, we reported that another sensitive and private email sent to Marty Rathbun had ended up in the hands of the Church of Scientology. In that case, an Israeli law partner said in a January court hearing that Rathbun turned over to him a potentially damaging email which had been sent to Rathbun by another former church member, Dani Lemberger. (Lemberger was suing the church, and the attorney, Mattan Ben Shaul, was cross-examining him when he brought up the email, which included a reference to Lemberger fantasizing about killing Scientology leader David Miscavige.)

Former supporters of Marty Rathbun found it so incredible that Rathbun would have handed over such a sensitive email to an attorney representing the church in litigation against a former member, we heard a chorus of objections from some readers who insisted that the email must have been stolen from Rathbun in a hacking attack. Our questions about it to Rathbun directly weren’t answered.

So to those we heard from earlier, is it really possible that Scientology was somehow able to hack Rathbun’s accounts, including a Hushmail account, to obtain the private communications of Dani Lemberger and Paul Haggis? Or is the truth more obvious?

Also, we want to echo Paul’s statements about Jason Beghe. For at least five years now, we’ve been saying that Beghe doesn’t get enough credit for the coordinated campaign by top former Scientology officials in 2008-2009 to expose the inner workings of the organization. Beghe’s cross-country trip in 2008, shortly after he had first announced his defection from the church, should be a legendary chapter in Scientology history — and we were fortunate enough to accompany Jason on part of it, as he traveled from New York to Washington, before he went on to eventually meet up with Rathbun in Texas.

 
— Ed.

 
Our previous coverage of Marty Rathbun…

March 9: As Louis Theroux’s ‘My Scientology Movie’ hits U.S., troubling news of co-star Marty Rathbun
March 14: Memories of a Scientology warrior: Marty Rathbun’s curious career as church rebel
June 9: Thanks for the slick videos, Marty Rathbun. Here’s a not very slick one for you.
June 14: Marty Rathbun tries to rewrite the record on Scientology spying. But we have the dox.
June 15: Marty Rathbun, Victoria Britton has a question for you about Scientology and judges
June 16: Marty Rathbun’s project becomes clear: Someone’s worried about Scientology & the IRS
June 17: Paul Haggis: Marty Rathbun is using private info I gave him against Lawrence Wright
June 20: John Brousseau: Marty Rathbun is putting words in my mouth about the FBI’s Scientology probe
June 29: HowdyCon: Aussie journalist Steve Cannane’s response to Marty Rathbun
July 24: Ray Jeffrey to judge: Order Rathbuns to turn over financial records and testify
Aug 29: LIVE FROM SAN ANTONIO: Will a former Scientology enforcer be compelled to testify?
Sept 13: Ford Greene responds to Marty Rathbun, and brings up a previous Scientology secret deal

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 23, 2017 at 07:00

E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2016 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2016), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield

We heard this week from Ford Greene, the California lawyer who was involved in important litigation against the Church of Scientology and who also recently appeared on a special 2-hour episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. He’s also the former two-time mayor of San Anselmo, California.

Ford wanted to share a couple of [...]]]>

We heard this week from Ford Greene, the California lawyer who was involved in important litigation against the Church of Scientology and who also recently appeared on a special 2-hour episode of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. He’s also the former two-time mayor of San Anselmo, California.

Ford wanted to share a couple of items with us in regards to the things that Mark “Marty” Rathbun said about him in a short video segment that was posted to YouTube on August 20.

It was one of dozens of short videos Rathbun has posted to his blog and his YouTube channel, many of them critiquing Remini’s show, including the episode that featured Ford Greene. Rathbun ridiculed Greene, saying that what Remini said about him was exaggerated. Greene was one of several attorneys involved in Lawrence Wollersheim’s epic legal saga, for example, but Rathbun says that Greene must have been pretty unimportant, because Rathbun was personally involved in Wollersheim negotiations and didn’t see the California attorney.

“I’ve never met Ford Greene in my life,” Rathbun says.

But as with so much of what Rathbun has been putting in these videos that he’s been posting since June, much of what he’s saying is easily disproven, often by what he himself has said in the past.

In this case, Greene told us, he has a document to show that Rathbun is all wet.

On June 15, 1989, a woman named Vicki Aznaran sat for a sworn deposition in her lawsuit against the Church of Scientology. Aznaran had left the church in 1988 from her position as Inspector General at the Religious Technology Center — a job that subsequently became Rathbun’s. She and her husband Richard Aznaran filed a lawsuit in 1988, seeking $20 million in damages.

Litigation by such a formerly high-ranking official was a major problem for the church, and Scientology’s legal team threw everything they had at the couple. But in a show of defiance, Aznaran’s attorney, Ford Greene, showed up for Vicki’s deposition wearing shorts, sandals, and a shirt that read “Cult Buster.”

Reading a transcript of the deposition, it was pretty obvious that Greene’s attire really got under the skin of Scientology’s attorney, Earle Cooley, as well as the rest of his team. And at one point, when the two sides were trading barbs, one member of the church’s entourage spoke up. It was Marty Rathbun…

 
Well, so much for Rathbun’s claim that he never met Ford Greene.

But Ford also brought up the Aznaran case because he thought it might help provide some illumination on another Rathbun-related matter.

“In the spring of 1991, the Aznarans fired me, choosing to represent themselves,” Greene tells us. Eventually, the Aznarans settled with the church on their own, and a condition of that agreement, Ford says, was that “the Aznarans were required to burn their lawyer for their fees…Sound familiar?”

He’s referring, of course, to speculation that the Rathbuns — Marty and his wife Monique — cut a similar deal with the church after firing their own attorneys last year.

After Marty Rathbun assumed Vicki Aznaran’s former position of Inspector General, he served as David Miscavige’s enforcer before he left the church in 2004. He then began speaking out against Miscavige in 2009, and in 2013 his wife Monique Rathbun filed a harassment lawsuit against Miscavige and the church, hiring Texas attorneys Ray Jeffrey, Elliott Cappuccio, and Marc Wiegand. Despite a string of successes in the case, the Rathbuns fired their attorneys last year, and Monique subsequently dropped her lawsuit. In a San Antonio court last month, Jeffrey told a district judge that he and his colleagues suspect that the Rathbuns have some kind of secret agreement with the church that required them to drop their suit and badmouth their former attorneys, and to leave them out of any compensation.

Rathbun himself, at his blog, denied that there was a “settlement” with the church, but otherwise he and his wife have left a lot of questions unanswered about why they fired their legal team and then walked away from a winning lawsuit.

But Greene suggests that Rathbun could be simply repeating history, and that Marty would have learned all about settling directly with the church when he observed the Aznarans doing it in the 1990s.

“Marty used the same Scientology tactic he employed as RTC Inspector General against me to cut the same type of deal for himself,” he says.

But Mike Rinder tells us that the analogy is not perfect. In 1994, the Aznarans approached Rinder, then a top Scientology official in his own right, and Rathbun wasn’t involved in those settlement talks, he tells us.

“They did not do any deal with Marty — they disliked him,” Rinder says.

But the parallel does intrigue Ray Jeffrey, who reminded us that Rinder actually detailed quite a lot about the Aznaran settlement in a sworn declaration he made in 2013. (In Monique Rathbun’s lawsuit, as a matter of fact.)

We thought it was really interesting to look at what Rinder said in that declaration not only to see how Scientology leader David Miscavige micromanages such agreements behind the scenes, but also in light of what happened to the Rathbun lawsuit. Here’s the full portion from Rinder’s declaration on the Aznarans…

I was directed by Miscavige personally on many, many different situations from lawsuits that he felt were important, to meeting with key media, to visiting with government officials, to directly running private investigations and intelligence operations. In each instance the level of micromanaging Miscavige engaged in is hard to believe.

Miscavige Connection to Texas
Out of literally dozens, if not hundreds of examples, I recount what happened with the Aznarans in 1994, primarily because they were Texas residents and the events took place in Dallas. Vicki Aznaran, like Mark Rathbun, was previously the “Inspector General” of Religious Technology Center. She was ousted by Miscavige and left the church and she and her husband filed suit against a number of church entities in 1988. Miscavige considered her a threat due to her knowledge of the power struggle he had been engaged in after the death of L. Ron Hubbard in 1986. Aznaran had taken sides against Miscavige and therefore she and her husband had become “enemies.”

In 1994 the Aznarans called the church and said they wanted to engage in settlement discussions to resolve their lawsuit.

Miscavige called me, told me in detail what he wanted done and sent me to meet with Richard Aznaran at Dallas-Fort Worth airport. I was instructed by Miscavige to secretly record the entire meeting so Miscavige could hear every word that was said. I covertly recorded my meeting with Mr. Aznaran as Miscavige had ordered.

When I returned to Los Angeles, Miscavige listened to the recording and then directed that I set up a settlement meeting with the Aznarans in Dallas. He gave me very explicit instructions. I was sent back to Dallas with Miscavige lieutenant, and RTC staff member, Mike Sutter and met with Richard and Vicki Aznaran in a suite in the Adolphus hotel in Dallas. Richard and Vicki were “represented” by Vicki’s sister as they were dissatisfied with the lawyer who had been representing them (Barry Van Sickle) and they wanted to be paid directly without Van Sickle getting anything.

I negotiated a settlement with the Aznarans over two days in Dallas. I was called by Miscavige at least every hour and had to give detailed descriptions of everything that had transpired and then received more detailed direction from him on what was to be done. As has now become standard practice in all Scientology settlements, we were required to get the Aznarans to sign declarations that could be used to counter statements they had earlier made in the course of their lawsuit.

Sutter and I returned to Los Angeles. We worked in Miscavige’s office on the 11th floor of the Hollywood Guarantee Building (HGB) 1710 Ivar Ave. (which also carries the CSI address of 6331 Hollywood Blvd) in Hollywood putting declarations — favorable to Miscavige himself that Miscavige had dictated — into final form. We typed them up and submitted them to Miscavige for his approval. Miscavige then despatched me and Sutter back to Dallas to get these signed and to tell the Aznarans that if they wouldn’t sign them there was no deal and they would get no money.

The Aznarans balked at signing the documents. Some modifications were made to things the Aznarans considered were too blatantly and provably false. Every change required approval from Miscavige via telephone. If he disagreed with the wording the wanted Miscavige dictated a different version to back to them.

Emphasis ours. And it does make you think.

Is Rathbun’s shocking turnaround the result of a similar deal, worked out in detail by Miscavige in the same manner as the Aznaran agreement? We don’t know.

Recently, footage from Rathbun’s videos has been showing up in Scientology’s paid web advertisements. We sent an email to Rathbun, asking him if he was receiving compensation for that. He didn’t respond.

 
The petition filed by Ray Jeffrey and his colleagues asking the court to order the Rathbuns to sit for depositions and turn over financial information was denied by the San Antonio court on a technicality. They can refile it in San Patricio County, where the Rathbuns live.

Whether they’re compelled to testify or not, it would be nice to get some more answers about what’s going from the Rathbuns.

And in the meantime, we thank Ford Greene for checking in.

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on September 13, 2017 at 07:00

E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2016 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2016), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield

Although half of Texas is underwater, your proprietor managed to get himself to the Lone Star State in time for this morning’s portentous court hearing in San Antonio, where we hope to be providing live updates direct from the [...]]]>

Although half of Texas is underwater, your proprietor managed to get himself to the Lone Star State in time for this morning’s portentous court hearing in San Antonio, where we hope to be providing live updates direct from the courtroom.

Later this morning attorneys Ray Jeffrey, Marc Wiegand, and Elliott Cappuccio will be arguing their petition to the Bexar County court, asking that a judge order their former clients, Monique and Mark “Marty” Rathbun, to turn over financial records and sit for sworn depositions to get to the bottom of what’s been more than a year of puzzling behavior.

We’re excited to be here for what might be a pretty fascinating hearing, and we want to take a moment to thank our readers who chip in their hard earned cash to help us keep up this online endeavor. Those donations allow us to make reporting trips like this one, so we can bring you coverage on the spot. So again, we thank you most sincerely.

It’s been five years since we were in the Bexar County courthouse. We were here in February 2012 for an epic day of testimony by Debbie Cook. One thing we learned that morning is that a case like Debbie’s — as well as today’s petition — isn’t assigned to a judge until the morning it’s heard. So the first thing we’ll be trying to learn this morning is which judge gets to hear Ray Jeffrey’s filing.

For their part, the Rathbuns have hired a highly-regarded San Antonio attorney, Rich Reynolds. Reynolds had told us he planned to file a response to the petition, but as of yesterday he still hadn’t done so.

Ingleside, the Texas coastal town where the Rathbuns live, was hammered by Hurricane Harvey on Friday night, and we hope their home came through it all right. We don’t know if that makes it less likely that the Rathbuns will actually appear in court with their attorney Reynolds this morning.

If you’re new to the Rathbun matter, we’ll post this recap of how we got here…

Monique hired the three attorneys to represent her in a harassment lawsuit she filed against the Church of Scientology in August 2013. Monique alleged that she had suffered outrageous abuse because her husband, a former top Scientology official, had decided in 2009 to begin publicly criticizing his former boss, church leader David Miscavige. (Monique herself was never a member of the church.) In retaliation for Marty’s statements at his website, Miscavige had the Rathbuns followed, photographed, and harassed with pranks and intimidation, Monique alleged. She believed the church went so far as to have an adult toy mailed to her place of work, and had flowers sent to her female co-worker with a romantic message that was supposedly from Monique. On smear websites operated by Scientology, she said in her legal complaint, “They have even alleged that I am not even a woman, but a man who has had a secret sex-change operation. So, I have even had my womanhood questioned as part of this sick campaign to inflict maximum emotional distress on me.”

Characteristically, the church pursued an aggressive strategy in court, throwing up roadblocks against the lawsuit including petitioning to have Monique’s attorneys disqualified. “Miscavige is not only attempting to deprive Monique of representation, in his inimitable style he is attempting to destroy her lawyers by having a court of law brand them as ‘unethical and immoral’,” Marty Rathbun wrote at his blog about the disqualification motion. “We hope we can direct a measure of your good wishes, intentions and prayers toward the only three lawyers in the state of Texas who are willing to put their careers on the line to right wrongs they just won’t cotton to happening in their great state.”

“Hot, Blue, and Righteous,” he called them.

Monique’s attorneys won that round and several more that came later, including a huge victory at the Texas Third Court of Appeals in November 2015. At that point, one of our legal experts told us, the Rathbuns were really in the driver’s seat and within a year might be “inflicting real pain” on the Church of Scientology — and perhaps could get David Miscavige into a witness chair. But then, just two months later, Monique Rathbun mysteriously fired her entire legal team “without cause,” suggesting that they had done nothing wrong. Later, however, she complained in a court pleading that the attorneys had disregarded her intentions, had written the original complaint poorly, and had advised her that there was little money in the lawsuit. Ray Jeffrey and Elliott Cappuccio each denied those allegations in public statements.

A few months after firing her attorneys, Monique dropped the lawsuit entirely, and again blamed her former attorneys. At his website, Marty Rathbun responded to speculation about why his wife had dropped the lawsuit by denying that a settlement had been worked out with the church. (If some kind of agreement involving compensation had been reached, Monique’s former attorneys would be entitled to a percentage.)

Four months later, in September 2016, Marty Rathbun began a series of attacks at his website — not against David Miscavige, but now against a fellow former church member (David’s father Ron Miscavige) and against filmmaker Louis Theroux, who had included Marty in his 2015 documentary, My Scientology Movie. Rathbun also attacked this website and former church members Chris Shelton and Karen de la Carriere. In January, a Scientology attorney in Israel said in open court that Rathbun had supplied the church with a private email by another former church member, Dani Lemberger, for use in litigation against Lemberger. Then, in June, Rathbun began putting out a series of videos attacking other former friends who had criticized David Miscavige, including Mike Rinder, Tom DeVocht, Amy Scobee, John Brousseau, and also Paul Haggis and Leah Remini.

Marty Rathbun’s shocking U-turn — and Monique’s complete silence — has fueled a lot of speculation online, with many people wondering what was motivating Rathbun to turn on his former friends.

In order to get some answers, Jeffrey, Wiegand, and Cappuccio filed what’s knows as a Rule 202 petition, which would allow them to question the Rathbuns without having to file a lawsuit. Our Texas law expert, TX Lawyer, told us that Rule 202 petitions like this one tend to be granted pretty easily, but he expects that Reynolds will argue for the judge to at least narrow the scope of the financial disclosures that Jeffrey is asking for.

We don’t think today’s hearing will last long, but it could be pretty interesting. Now, if we can just figure out this new live-blogging software that Scott Pilutik installed, and if we can get a good seat at the courtroom, we’ll be all set.

SEE BELOW FOR LIVE BLOG UPDATES.

 
UPDATE: Well, that was an interesting morning in court. Ray Jeffrey, Marc Wiegand, Elliott Cappuccio, and Leslie Hyman showed up to support the Rule 202 petition, and on the other side, Rich Reynolds was representing the Rathbuns, who did not appear. In the gallery, it was just your proprietor and our old Phoenix New Times colleague, Gilbert Garcia, who now writes a column for the San Antonio News-Express.

The first remarkable thing that took place was that Judge Karen H. Pozza allowed Ray Jeffrey to speak uninterrupted as he told the entire tale of Marty Rathbun in Scientology, his defection, his blog, the harassment he and Monique went through from the Scientology goon squad, and then the lawsuit that Monique filed. They were winning that lawsuit until the Rathbuns suddenly fired them, and then Marty went on the attack against Scientology’s critics at his website. So for that reason, they suspect that there’s an agreement between the Rathbuns and the church, and the attorneys want to get evidence of it by having the Rathbuns submit financial information and sit for depositions.

That was a lengthy tale to tell, and Jeffrey was able to tell it without interruptions from either Reynolds or the judge. But then Reynolds brought up a good point about the Rule 202 law. You can use the rule in two different ways, and Reynolds accused Jeffrey of saying he was using method 1 (Rule 202.1a), while really using method 2 (Rule 202.1b). Why does that matter? Well, Jeffrey had submitted the petition in Bexar County because that’s where the Rathbuns had signed their contingency fee contract with the attorneys. But if they are really pursuing method two (Rule 202.1b), the proper place to file the petition is in the county of residence for the defendant, and the Rathbuns live in San Patricio County, down by the coast.

The difference between the two methods has to do with whether the attorneys are hoping to get testimony as they anticipate filing a lawsuit (Rule 202.1a) or they are gathering facts because they are investigating whether or not to file a claim (Rule 202.1b). Reynolds accused Jeffrey of saying he was doing the former, when he was really doing the latter.

The judge did understand this difference, and she quizzed Jeffrey about it. She seemed to agree with Reynolds that Jeffrey was mixing the language of the two rules. But rather than agree with Reynolds and deny the petition, she asked Jeffrey to write a new proposed order, adding language that would settle the 1a/1b matter, and then she would make a decision by Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, another interesting moment was when Jeffrey said he believed Reynolds was being paid by the Church of Scientology. “That’s my hunch,” he said in court. Reynolds ignored it, which we found kind of interesting.

Before the hearing, we had a chance to ask Reynolds if the Rathbuns had come through the hurricane all right. “As far as I know. I haven’t heard anything to the contrary,” he said.

So we’ll wait to see whether Judge Pozza will sign Jeffrey’s new proposed order, and whether the Rathbuns will then try to get a writ of mandamus to overturn it. We’ll get some answers Thursday morning.

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on August 29, 2017 at 07:00

E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2016 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2016), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield

On Tuesday morning, three attorneys who used to represent Monique and Mark “Marty” Rathbun are scheduled to go into a San Antonio courtroom and argue that the judge (who will be assigned to the case that morning) should order that the Rathbuns sit for sworn depositions and turn over a large [...]]]>

On Tuesday morning, three attorneys who used to represent Monique and Mark “Marty” Rathbun are scheduled to go into a San Antonio courtroom and argue that the judge (who will be assigned to the case that morning) should order that the Rathbuns sit for sworn depositions and turn over a large number of financial records.

The attorneys — Ray Jeffrey, Marc Wiegand, and Elliott Cappuccio — filed a petition with the court in July, explaining that they had been fired “without cause” by Monique Rathbun in January 2016 while they were representing her in a harassment lawsuit she filed against the Church of Scientology in August 2013. After firing her legal team, Monique handled the lawsuit on her own for a few months before dropping it altogether in May 2016.

Since that time, her husband Marty Rathbun has used his website to attack many of the people who used to be his supporters as he spent years exposing Scientology’s abuses. Rathbun also denied that a cash settlement had been worked out with the Church of Scientology to end Monique’s lawsuit. (For an overview of Rathbun’s interesting arc from chief Scientology enforcer to church rebel and then back to church defender, please see our previous timeline.)

If there is an agreement involving compensation, because they were fired “without cause” Monique’s former attorneys would be entitled to a percentage since they had taken up the 2013 lawsuit on a contingency basis.

Jeffrey, in the petition he filed in July, indicated that he and his colleagues are prepared to present evidence in court which suggests that Marty Rathbun’s behavior since the firing indicates that the couple has worked out some kind of secret deal with the church, and that the lawyers therefore have a legitimate claim to part of it.

Rather than file a lawsuit, however, the attorneys are asking the judge to have the Rathbuns sit for sworn depositions first. As Jeffrey put it to us recently:

“I want some answers. We were winning an important case, our client fired us without any cause, and then dismissed the lawsuit. If anything of value was received from anyone associated with Scientology, we want to know. If not, we want to know that, as well. We have attempted to get answers informally, to no avail.”

For help understanding the legal basis of the petition and what’s likely to happen in court Tuesday, we’ve turned to our expert, a Texas litigation attorney who goes by the handle TX Lawyer. Here’s what he told us about what the Rathbuns are facing:

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This is a hearing to decide whether Monique Rathbun’s former attorneys are entitled to take depositions of Monique and Marty Rathbun and obtain documents from them under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 202. This isn’t a full-blown lawsuit yet, just a proceeding to allow a potential plaintiff to obtain some limited discovery to determine whether grounds for a lawsuit actually exist. I have filed and defended Rule 202 proceedings several times.

In my experience, nearly all trial court judges grant Rule 202 petitions pretty much as a matter of course, assuming the petitioner has actually followed the procedural requirements of the rule. Most judges view these things as a good opportunity to determine whether or not there really is a claim to be asserted, without having to put both sides through a full-on lawsuit. Some of the Texas appellate courts have recently cracked down a bit on rubber-stamping the use of Rule 202, but they are still pretty well routine.

I could easily see a judge striking some of the document requests. Those are some really broad requests. If I were the Rathbuns’ lawyer, I would argue that the requests go well beyond whatever would be reasonably necessary to prove or disprove whether the Rathbuns received anything of value in connection with their now-dismissed lawsuit against David Miscavige and the various Church of Scientology entities. If the Rathbuns agreed to take the Church’s money, directly or indirectly, there are going to be receipts — maybe a settlement agreement or other contract, certainly wire transfer or other payment records. I can understand why Ray Jeffrey and his team are taking the broader approach, however, as if there really was a secret settlement, you obviously have to be concerned that steps were taken to keep it secret.

The Rathbuns do have the right to file a written response before the hearing. The fact that they have lawyered up with somebody as serious as Rich Reynolds probably indicates that they are going to fight this, not just run up a white flag and accept the Rule 202 discovery. That means there will probably be a written response to the petition, which could be filed at basically anytime before the hearing. Waiting to file until the last minute would not be at all unusual, as it gives the petitioner less time to form a reply to the respondent’s arguments, and it’s not like the judge who gets assigned to the hearing is going to spend more than a minute or two with the papers before the hearing anyway.

So that’s the basic procedure here. What’s probably going to be a lot more interesting at the hearing is what the attorneys have to say. Is Ray Jeffrey going to say anything about the “significant circumstantial evidence” referred to in the petition? Is Rich Reynolds going to take any kind of position about what’s going on with his clients? Will anything be said about whether the Church is paying Reynolds’ fees, or whether the Rathbuns are being reimbursed for them?

Fighting a Rule 202 application does not, by itself, indicate that there is anything in particular that is being hidden from the potential plaintiff. Once the litigation ball gets rolling, after all, you don’t know everything it’s going to roll over. Still, the position the Rathbuns take at this hearing is likely to be pretty telling.

If I were in Reynolds’ place and the Rathbuns were Joe and Jane Schmoe who hadn’t taken any money and hadn’t cheated their former lawyers out of a contingency fee, I would recommend negotiating narrower document requests and strict limits on the subject matter and time of the depositions. Alternatively, you could just make that argument to the judge, particularly if the petitioner has refused reasonable requests to narrow the scope. The goal would be to get in and out with minimal intrusiveness, so everyone can go on with their lives.

But if Joe and Jane Schmoe really were dirty on this — and they were forthcoming about that fact with me, which dirty clients often are not — I would recommend figuring out a way to get the dispute settled as quickly and favorably as possible. When money changes hands, there are just too many ways to prove it happened, including plenty of avenues that do not require the potential defendant’s cooperation. Even if the 202 petition were to be denied, the claimant probably already has something resembling a good faith basis to file a real lawsuit, which opens the floodgates of full discovery and third party subpoenas.

And if it’s something more complicated than just the existence or absence of a secret settlement, well, that probably means the response to the 202 petition is going to be complicated too. Suppose, for instance, that your client didn’t take anything to settle the previous lawsuit, but subsequently entered into some sort of personal services arrangement with the former defendant. Do you just acknowledge it and hope your client doesn’t get sued, or do you fight like hell to prevent disclosing the subsequent agreement because you know it will look ugly and the prospective plaintiff will be able to make an argument that it is a sham attempt to avoid paying a contingency fee? Or do you just sue the ex-lawyers for malpractice before the 202 hearing, so that at least you get to be the plaintiff in the lawsuit (which, yes, would be a real move that could actually happen here).

In other words, this could go just about anywhere. I’d advise people to listen more to what is being said than what the judge ends up ruling.

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Thanks very much for that help, TX. We look forward to Tuesday’s fireworks.

Since our last story about the Rathbuns and the petition by their former attorneys, the Church of Scientology has only increased its online war against Leah Remini’s A&E series, Scientology and the Aftermath, and we noted that one of the weapons they’re using is video by Marty Rathbun.

Beginning in June, Rathbun has been posting short video segments that feature him criticizing Remini, author Lawrence Wright, filmmaker Alex Gibney, and many of his former close Scientology colleagues, including Mike Rinder, Tom DeVocht, and Amy Scobee.

The church has seized on these videos and features them at a website that attacks Remini’s show. And recently, we noticed video segments were being tweeted by church accounts, such as this one:

 
On August 13, we emailed Rathbun, asking him about his videos being used this way by the Church of Scientology.

“Are they doing this with your permission? Are you being paid by the church for this use of your video?” we asked. He hasn’t responded.

 
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Chris Shelton talks to Melissa Paris

Says Chris: “This week I have a special interview with Melissa Paris, a former Scientologist and Sea Org member who grew up in the Cadet Org in England and endured an enormous amount of abuse both then and later after she joined the Sea Org. As people have seen in the last two episodes of Scientology and the Aftermath, the horrors of Scientology are not just its toxic practice of disconnection but also what happens to the children who never asked to be part of it in the first place, and our interview here hopes to continue exposing the vicious practices at the heart of the Sea Organization, supposedly the most ethical and elite corp of the ‘most ethical group on the planet.’ Yeah, not so much.”

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on August 24, 2017 at 07:00

E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2016 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2016), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield

We spoke to Ray Jeffrey yesterday about the petition he filed on July 5 along with Elliott Cappuccio and Marc Wiegand, asking the Bexar County District Court to order that their former clients, Mark “Marty” Rathbun and Monique Rathbun, sit for depositions and turn over financial records.

In January 2016, Monique [...]]]>

We spoke to Ray Jeffrey yesterday about the petition he filed on July 5 along with Elliott Cappuccio and Marc Wiegand, asking the Bexar County District Court to order that their former clients, Mark “Marty” Rathbun and Monique Rathbun, sit for depositions and turn over financial records.

In January 2016, Monique fired the three lawyers “without cause” and then dropped her 2013 harassment lawsuit against the Church of Scientology. Since that time her husband Marty (who had also personally been represented by Jeffrey, Cappuccio, and Wiegand) has used his website to attack many of his former friends and supporters and has defended the church in a bewildering turnaround. According to the petition Jeffrey filed, he and his colleagues want to question the Rathbuns to investigate possible legal claims, suspecting that the Rathbuns may have entered some kind of secret agreement with the church.

In their petition, the attorneys asked for a hearing on July 25, but we noticed that it had been pushed back to August 29. We asked Jeffrey why the hearing had been postponed. “We were contacted by an attorney, Rich Reynolds, who said he was retained to represent the Rathbuns, and he said he had scheduling conflicts. August 29 was the first date that all of us had available on our calendars,” he told us.

Richard J. Reynolds III is managing member with the Texas law firm Thornton Biechlin Reynolds & Guerra. “He heads the firm’s Professional Liability Section with a substantial portion of his practice devoted to the representation of lawyers, accountants, financial and insurance professionals,” says his online bio. We reached out to Reynolds to confirm that he had been hired by the Rathbuns.

“Yes, I have been retained by the Rathbuns to represent them in connection with the Petition referenced in your e-mail that has been filed in Bexar County District Court,” he wrote us. “At the appropriate time we will file a brief with the Court setting out our position. Ultimately, the Court will hold a hearing and it will make a determination whether the grounds stated in the petition filed on behalf of the three law firms are sufficient under the law to warrant the Court ordering that Mr. and Mrs. Rathbun appear for a deposition at this point or not.”

We asked Ray Jeffrey what he knew about Reynolds, and we sent over several other questions as well.

“I think it’s a smart choice. Rich is well known in San Antonio and he’s with an established law firm,” Jeffrey says. “A San Antonio legal insider would know that Rich is an excellent choice.”

What are you hoping to get out of this legal petition?

“I want some answers. We were winning an important case, our client fired us without any cause, and then dismissed the lawsuit. If anything of value was received from anyone associated with Scientology, we want to know. If not, we want to know that, as well. We have attempted to get answers informally, to no avail.”

If the judge asks about the “circumstantial evidence” that you say in your petition suggests the Rathbuns have cut a deal, what will you say?

“I’d rather present our evidence in court than in the press.”

Have you or your co-counsel ever taken an action like this regarding any previous clients?

“No, absolutely not. This is an extraordinary situation.”

What’s the next step if the judge denies your petition?

“That’s an interesting question. We could still take the Rathbuns’ deposition, but we might have to sue them to do so. If Scientology has not directly or indirectly paid the Rathbuns something of value, it would make sense for them to voluntarily clear this up without the need for a lawsuit. Mr. Reynolds knows this, so I would expect him to advise his clients accordingly.”

If the depositions happen, what’s the first substantive question you’re going to ask Monique or Marty?

“I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to say, but as indicated in our filing, the focus will be financial.”

Many readers are assuming that if there is a deal, Marty Rathbun and Scientology leader David Miscavige were smart enough to hide it beneath layers of subterfuge and in off-shore accounts. Do you think that’s likely?

“No. Our court system makes it unlikely that any subterfuge would prevail. We have too many tools to get at the truth.”

 
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Wise Beard Man’s ticker needs an overhaul

Mark Bunker is facing a pretty scary situation with his usual good humor. He’s scheduled to have a triple bypass operation in a few days, and even though he seems to have the right attitude about it, he admitted to us that he is worried about paying the rent when he gets home from the hospital.

He put together this video and started a new Gofundme. We told him we’d be happy to post them here and let folks know what he’s up against.

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on July 25, 2017 at 07:00

E-mail tips and story ideas to tonyo94 AT gmail DOT com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook versions. We’ve posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information can also be found at the book’s dedicated page.

The Best of the Underground Bunker, 1995-2016 Just starting out here? We’ve picked out the most important stories we’ve covered here at the Undergound Bunker (2012-2016), The Village Voice (2008-2012), New Times Los Angeles (1999-2002) and the Phoenix New Times (1995-1999)

Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | Scientology’s Private Dancer | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | Scientology boasts about assistance from Google | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ

Our Guide to Alex Gibney’s film ‘Going Clear,’ and our pages about its principal figures…
Jason Beghe | Tom DeVocht | Sara Goldberg | Paul Haggis | Mark “Marty” Rathbun | Mike Rinder | Spanky Taylor | Hana Whitfield