UPDATED with church response: The relations between Leah Remini and her former
Friends in Scientology have been bitter for a decade, as the actor’s harassment lawsuit against the church this week made clear. On Thursday, in an invective-filled response to that suit, the David Miscavige -led organization made the point themselves. Related Stories
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prison – Update Legal Paul Haggis Civil Trial: Jury Awards $2.5M In Punitive Damages; Oscar Winner Says He Will Appeal & “Die Clearing My Name” – Update Calling the multi-claim complaint against the church and Miscavige “ludicrous and the allegations pure lunacy,” Scientology got personal in its response, referring to the Emmy-winning Scientology and the Aftermath host as “a horrible person” and a hate-speech-spewing “bigot.” The statement seemingly sidestepped the issues brought up in the suit to slam once-favored member Remini as “toxic to so many who have the misfortune to come in contact with her.” Known to play offense in lieu of defense in its public stances against critics, Scientology’s statement today ends with: “The Church is not intimidated by Remini’s latest act of blatant harassment and attempt to prevent truthful free speech. If Remini does not believe in free speech, then she should consider emigrating to
Russia.” See the full statement from the church at the bottom of this post. PREVIOUSLY, Aug. 2 AM: Just days before a critical pre-sentencing hearing for convicted rapist and prominent Scientologist Danny Masterson is scheduled to take place in downtown LA, the Church finds itself back in court. Leah Remini today filed a blistering complaint in
Los Angeles Superior Court against the L. Ron Hubbard-created organization and its leader David Miscavige. Citing years of attacks, the multi-claim filing (read it here ) alleges Scientology harassed and defamed the high-profile former Church member and King of Queens star. The complaint seeks unspecified damages. Remini also is looking for injunctive relief “to end Scientology’s policies against Suppressive Persons so that current and former Scientologists, and others who wish to expose Scientology’s abuses, including journalists and advocates, may feel free to hold Scientology accountable without the fear that they will be threatened into silence.” “This lawsuit does not challenge Scientology’s ability to defend itself through legal means,” Remini’s attorneys at Florida-based Edwards Henderson Lehrman and South Carolina-set Motley Rice LLC added. The Church of Scientology did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment on Remini’s suit, which the actor unveiled online today. We will update this post if and when the Church of Scientology issues a response. I wanted to share some important news. After 17 years of harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and defamation, I am filing a lawsuit against Scientology and David Miscavige. While advocating for victims of Scientology has significantly impacted my life and career,… — Leah Remini (@LeahRemini) August 2, 2023 In the jury trial-seeking complaint, critical ex-Church member and Emmy-winning Scientology and the Aftermath host Remini details in terms familiar to those who have followed similar suits against Scientology how she allegedly has been targeted by the organization and its affiliates since leaving in 2013: For the past ten years, Ms. Remini has been stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened, intimidated, and, moreover, has been the victim of intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors via hundreds of Scientology-controlled and -coordinated
Social Media accounts that exist solely to intimidate and spread misinformation. Scientology has elevated the reach of some of these posts by using its tax-exempt funds to pay social media companies like
Twitter to “promote” these posts. By paying to promote these posts and elevate them on Twitter, Defendants demonstrate that these posts are not the work of a rogue Scientologist, but part of a coordinated campaign to follow long held policy and destroy Ms. Remini. Defendants have also incessantly harassed, threatened, intimidated, and embarrassed Ms. Remini’s family members, friends, colleagues, and business associates, causing her to lose personal relationships, business contracts, and other business opportunities. Defendants have caused Ms. Remini significant and ongoing economic harm and have forced her to endure a new but never-normal life in which Scientology’s surveillance, abuse, and lies are the punishing, inescapable, daily cost of exercising her First Amendment right and moral duty to speak out about Scientology’s conduct. Scientology’s policies regarding Suppressive Persons and Fair Game are not religious doctrine; they are old-school, mob-style tactics, modernized, amplified, and weaponized by Scientology’s far-reaching network, which goes beyond just social media. Remini’s suit echoes the ongoing civil action filed in 2019 by several Jane Does in Masterson’s criminal case. Set to restart in the coming months once the That 70’s Show actor is sentenced in early September for what could be 30 years behind bars, that much-delayed civil matter also claims harassment and more by Masterson and Scientology after the now-plaintiffs and their families went to the LAPD over the
Sexual Assault incidents. All three Jane Does in Masterson’s criminal case and the civil case, which Scientology unsuccessfully tried to get the
Supreme Court to defang, are former members of the Church. Not a defendant in Masterson’s rape trials, the Church and its policies were brought up again and again in the matter, as was its deep relationships with members of the legal and law enforcement communities. During Masterson’s rape retrial earlier this year, Remini was served a subpoena by the defense on the opening day because they sought to unsuccessfully have the potential witness excluded from the proceedings. While sitting in on a number of days of arguments and testimony, Remini was never called to take the stand in the case. RELATED: Leah Remini Testifies That “Paul Haggis Is The Victim” In Sexual Assault Civil Trial Today’s filing pulls back the veil on what Remini and others over the years have alleged is the coordinated effort by the Church to taint and soil its critics, especially former members, such as Remini and Crash director Paul Haggis, and journalists: In addition to websites created by Defendants and its employees, there are hundreds of Scientology-run Twitter accounts that are actively tweeting daily misinformation about Ms. Remini in furtherance of the Suppressive Person and OSA operations and attacks that Defendants are deploying against her. Based upon information and belief, these individuals create Twitter accounts for the purpose of harassing Ms. Remini and other whistleblowers and advocates who have been deemed Suppressive Persons or attackers of Scientology, buy followers on social media, follow each other’s accounts, and coordinate their attacks on Ms. Remini. For instance, since 2017, @standmonitor, created and run by Defendants, has posted thousands of malicious and harassing tweets about Ms. Remini. In March 2023 alone, they have posted over 247 tweets aimed at Ms. Remini, includes dozens of photoshopped images of Ms. Remini in “I love rapists” apparel with similar fraudulent messages purporting to show Ms. Remini’s support of rapists under the hashtag, #ReminiLovesRapists. Full August 3 Church of Scientology statement: This lawsuit is ludicrous and the allegations pure lunacy. Remini spreads hate and falsehoods for a decade and is now offended when people exercise their right to free speech, exposing her for what she is—an anti-free speech bigot. Remini’s complaints are like an anti-Semite complaining about the Jewish Anti-Defamation League for exposing the anti-Semite’s bigotry and propaganda. Remini’s obsession with attacking her former religion, by spreading falsehoods and hate speech, has generated threats of and actual violence against the Church and its members as evidenced by multiple criminal convictions of individuals poisoned by Remini’s propaganda. All the while, Remini has profited handsomely from her fabrications, through the sale of hate books, hate podcasts and paid-for tabloid hate television. Now that Remini’s propaganda has been exposed, Remini has spun entirely out of control by filing a frivolous lawsuit attempting to stop free speech exposing her false propaganda. Remini’s decade of harassment and fabrications are all coming back to haunt her. If Remini can no longer get a
Job, she has nobody to blame but herself. Obviously everybody in
Hollywood now knows what we already knew: That Remini is a horrible person and toxic to so many who have the misfortune to come in contact with her. While Remini was in the Church, she had to restrain her antisocial traits. She said so herself—that Scientology was the only thing keeping her “monster” at bay. The Church is not intimidated by Remini’s latest act of blatant harassment and attempt to prevent truthful free speech. If Remini does not believe in free speech, then she should consider emigrating to Russia.