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Judge Hammock to rule today that RTC will remain in Leah Remini’s Scientology lawsuit

[Leah Remini and Judge Randolph Hammock]

Judge Randolph Hammock issued a tentative ruling yesterday in anticipation of today’s continued hearing in Leah Remini’s lawsuit.

Continue reading Judge Hammock to rule today that RTC will remain in Leah Remini’s Scientology lawsuit

The Guardian’s expose of Narconon is great — except for this puzzling issue

[Narconon Ojai and ABLE’s ED]

We want to thank all of the readers who sent us messages about this weekend’s terrific expose of the Narconon drug program in the Guardian*, which involved a nine-month investigation and publication on the newspaper’s front page.

Continue reading The Guardian’s expose of Narconon is great — except for this puzzling issue

Val Ross: Scientology draws you in so you don’t realize what it’s about until it’s too late

[Val at her desk back in the day, the Grade Chart on the wall]

The spring of 1972, I was 17 and in my senior year of high school. The school was in Grants, New Mexico, 12 miles away from where we lived. I only had one class to finish to graduate, and was taking courses at the community college in Grants in the evening as well as babysitting for an hour while one of the professors taught a night class.

Continue reading Val Ross: Scientology draws you in so you don’t realize what it’s about until it’s too late

PODCAST: Emails show which local politician was trying to stop IAS protest for Scientology

[Apostate Alex has the goods on Dick Sweatman]

Well, we’ve done it again. We’ve gone and collaborated with Apostate Alex and we think you’re going to like the result.

Continue reading PODCAST: Emails show which local politician was trying to stop IAS protest for Scientology

For the first time, read L. Ron Hubbard gushing about working with Leni Riefenstahl

[Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast]

We have a very special treat for you today, and it’s thanks to Mitch Brisker.

Mitch is one of the most interesting people to come out of Scientology in recent years, he has a memorable book out, and we’ve actually been talking to him for a couple of years. One of the first things he told us when we got to know him was how glad he was to see that we had written at The Daily Beast about L. Ron Hubbard’s interesting 1960 encounter with Adolf Hitler’s favorite filmmaker, documentarian Leni Riefenstahl.

Continue reading For the first time, read L. Ron Hubbard gushing about working with Leni Riefenstahl

Scientology hopping mad after Mike Rinder and Claire Headley help out Leah Remini

 
Last week, we told you that Mike Rinder and Claire Headley had filed new declarations with the Los Angeles Superior Court to help Leah Remini keep Scientology’s Religious Technology Center (RTC) from wriggling out of her lawsuit against the church.

Continue reading Scientology hopping mad after Mike Rinder and Claire Headley help out Leah Remini

Report: Elisabeth Moss’s father still trying to get back in Scientology’s graces when he died

[Ron Moss]

In April 2022, the New Yorker magazine published a profile of actress Elisabeth Moss and interviewed former Scientology Celebrity Centre fixture Geoff Levin.

At the time, we gave the magazine credit for asking Geoff about Moss’s Scientology involvement, something Moss herself is generally not very talkative about.

Continue reading Report: Elisabeth Moss’s father still trying to get back in Scientology’s graces when he died

East Grinstead council gets an earful about Scientology, whether it wants it or not

[Zooming with the burghers of Scientologyville]

Fallout from last November’s protests of Scientology’s “IAS gala” continues to produce interesting results in East Grinstead, England, the burg that is the site of Saint Hill, Scientology’s UK headquarters, and where founder L. Ron Hubbard oversaw Scientology’s golden age between 1959 and 1966.

Continue reading East Grinstead council gets an earful about Scientology, whether it wants it or not

Court showdown over Scientology leader David Miscavige evading service coming next week

[Judge Robert Broadbelt III and David Miscavige]

On Friday, we brought you up to date on Scientology leader David Miscavige’s attempts to keep himself out of Leah Remini’s lawsuit.

Once again, Dave is dodging process servers while he has his tetchy attorney Jeffrey Riffer complaining that Leah isn’t looking in the right places.

Continue reading Court showdown over Scientology leader David Miscavige evading service coming next week

38 years ago: The eerie Hollywood Palladium sendoff for Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard

 
Thirty-eight years ago yesterday, Scientologists in the Los Angeles area were instructed to come to the Hollywood Palladium for a special briefing.

Continue reading 38 years ago: The eerie Hollywood Palladium sendoff for Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard