Leah Remini is suing the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, after suffering years of alleged defamation and harassment from the organization. The Church of Scientology has been involved in numerous controversies and legal issues since its founding in the 1950s, making it hopeful Remini’s lawsuit can shed light on the organization’s sordid practices. Scientology was invented by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard and began as a pseudo-science called Dianetics. It was supposed to be a sort of therapy that individuals could use to gain control of the “reactive mind” and “analytic mind” to reach the state of Clear in which one would be free from psychological pain.
When his Dianetics principles failed to take off, he set out to have them rebranded as a religion, Scientology. Many believe this was a strategy to gain tax benefits, as religious and charitable organizations are tax-exempt. Indeed, the Church of Scientology embarked on a vicious decades-long “war” with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before it was granted tax-exempt status in 1993. The struggle ensued because many do not recognize Scientology as a religious organization. Instead, it is frequently argued that it is a for-profit business created by Hubbard or even a cult.
Its murky origins and classifications are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Scientology’s controversies. Over the decades, numerous disturbing allegations have arisen against the Church, including those of abuse, human trafficking, and organized harassment of anyone deemed an enemy of the Church. The last allegation isn’t surprising, as the Church had an actual policy, Fair Game, that held that anyone deemed a threat to the Church was “fair game” for harassment. Hubbard encouraged members to attempt to “ruin” and “destroy” the Church’s enemies. While the term was pulled from Scientology scriptures by 1968, its sentiments have lived on in the organization, as proven by individuals like Remini.
Remini files lawsuit against Scientology
As reported by Rolling Stone, Remini filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology on August 2, 2023, alleging years of harassment, defamation, and stalking. Remini is a well-known ex-member of the Church of Scientology. She left the Church in 2013 over concerns about Miscavige’s management, the mysterious disappearance of Miscavige’s wife, Shelly, the fair game policy, and the Church’s disconnection policy, which seeks to sever any connections between members of Scientology and those deemed to be enemies of the Church. Remini has become an advocate for other victims of Scientology, striving to shed light on their experiences. She has also continued probing the disappearance of Shelly, who has not been physically seen since 2007.
However, her activities have come at a cost. The harassment she faced allegedly began years before she even left Scientology. Her lawsuit alleges 17 years of “psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation” at the hands of the Church and Miscavige. It also paints a terrifying picture of the Church’s antics through its Office of Special Affairs (OSA) department, which surveils and targets “enemies” of the Church. The lawsuit includes dozens of incidents of harassment, including the Church spreading rumors and misinformation on social media by using tax-exempt funds to promote posts that defamed Remini and sending a man in an armed vehicle to her residence to attempt to steal her mail.
Remini is asking for a trial by jury for compensatory and punitive damages. Via Substack, she indicated that the major motive in filing this lawsuit is to prevent the Church from being able to use the fear of retaliation to silence others and to dissuade investigation into its activities. The Church of Scientology International, Inc., Miscavige, and the Church’s Religious Technology Center, Inc., have all been named as defendants in the lawsuit. While the outcome of the lawsuit remains to be seen, a trial by jury has the potential to further shine a light on the Church and to combat the processes it has used to allegedly silence victims and hinder investigations into Shelly’s disappearance and other disturbing allegations against it.
(via Rolling Stone, featured image: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
