David Miscavige objects to being served, claims he does no business in Florida

[Dave, doing business in Florida]

As expected, David Miscavige, through his attorney Florida Bar past president William Schifino, filed an objection yesterday to the recent court ruling that named the Scientology leader a defendant in a labor trafficking lawsuit.

It’s a doozy.

Continue reading David Miscavige objects to being served, claims he does no business in Florida

Scientology: SCOTUS ruling says judge can’t rule on duress in trafficking lawsuit

[Justice Antonin Scalia (1936-2016) and Judge Thomas Barber]

Tampa federal Judge Thomas Barber asked both sides in a labor trafficking lawsuit to file 10-page answers to his question about contracts signed under duress, and they came in yesterday on deadline.

Continue reading Scientology: SCOTUS ruling says judge can’t rule on duress in trafficking lawsuit

David Miscavige insists he was still not served, asks court for time to object to ruling

[UPDATE: Judge Barber has granted Miscavige’s request, and the Scientology leader can put off answering the lawsuit itself until his objections to the ruling naming him a defendant can be heard. Isn’t American justice grand?]

We’re looking forward to the two sides in the Baxter v. Scientology labor trafficking case to turn in their 10-page answers to Judge Thomas Barber’s question about “duress” today.

Continue reading David Miscavige insists he was still not served, asks court for time to object to ruling

Celebrity Sunday: Erika Christensen, Michael Peña and a tribute to… Prince?

We’re continuing to look back at recent issues of Scientology’s Celebrity magazine, which appears to be a victim of the pandemic. Today, we thought we’d go through issue 437, which came out in June 2017 and featured actress Erika Christensen on the cover.

Continue reading Celebrity Sunday: Erika Christensen, Michael Peña and a tribute to… Prince?

PODCAST: Karen Pressley on Scientology’s radicalizing of Tom Cruise

[Karen Pressley on ‘Aftermath’]

Karen Pressley spent almost 20 years in Scientology, and then turned her experience into a terrific book, Escaping Scientology: My Journey with the Cult of Celebrity Spirituality, Greed & Power.

Continue reading PODCAST: Karen Pressley on Scientology’s radicalizing of Tom Cruise

TESTAMENT: When a celeb faced a nasty divorce, and Scientology kept it all under wraps

[Woman in fur coat, the Night Court version]

In February 1987, I was an auditor in the Flag Service Organization in Clearwater, Florida. This org was known as the highest and best place to partake in Scientology services within the sprawling network of that “Church.” There was no better place, supposedly, to get auditing anywhere in the world.

Continue reading TESTAMENT: When a celeb faced a nasty divorce, and Scientology kept it all under wraps

REPORT: Scientology loses captain of its Florida ‘spiritual mecca,’ a fundraising marvel

A couple of our best sources reached out to us this week to let us know they’ve heard something interesting that is coming out of Scientology’s “spiritual mecca,” the Flag Land Base in Clearwater, Florida.

Continue reading REPORT: Scientology loses captain of its Florida ‘spiritual mecca,’ a fundraising marvel

Simi Valley: Not the town, but one of the Underground Bunker’s most loyal helpers

[Simi Valley, and Simi Valley]

To start out the new year of 2013, we posted one of our favorite stories of all time that morning of January 1: Simi Valley, a woman who had legally changed her name to match that Southern California town, was now not only out of the Church of Scientology, but she had decided also to shake off “independent Scientology” and the ideas of L. Ron Hubbard.

Continue reading Simi Valley: Not the town, but one of the Underground Bunker’s most loyal helpers

Richard Belzer, and that time he got us in to see Tom Cruise roast Matt Lauer

[Belzer, center, with Jeff Ross, left, and Jim Carrey honoring Jerry Lewis on his 90th at the Friar’s Club in 2016]

We were very sad to hear about Richard Belzer’s passing. It was reported that he died in France this week at the age of 78 after some years there dealing with illness.

His last words were reported to have been, “Fuck you, motherfucker.”

Damn, that is so good.

Continue reading Richard Belzer, and that time he got us in to see Tom Cruise roast Matt Lauer

TRANSCRIPT, PART 2: Experienced auditor is taped talking about E-meter, the OT levels

And now we have for you the second half of the remarkable recorded conversation between a recent high school graduate and the OT Scientologist auditor, which ranged over a number of fascinating subjects.

Continue reading TRANSCRIPT, PART 2: Experienced auditor is taped talking about E-meter, the OT levels

Search