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The Church of Scientology has been involved in a number of court disputes throughout the world. When the church has initiated the dispute, there has often been controversy as to Scientology’s true motives. Critics allege that most of the church’s claims are frivolous and designed to harass those it perceives as its enemies. The Church maintains that its use of the legal system is necessary to protect its intellectual property and its right to freedom of religion. Image File history File links Scientology_new_style_logo. ...
The Quran The first surah in a Quranic manuscript by Hattat Aziz Efendi. ...
Dianetics is a practice which is based on ideas about the human mind. ...
In Dianetics and Scientology, an engram is defined as a painful memory containing unconsciousness and contained as part of the mind. ...
In Dianetics and Scientology, Clear is defined as a state in which a person is free of unwanted influences of past memories, unwanted emotions, and mental and physical pain not existing in present time. ...
This article examines the beliefs and practices of Scientology as taught by the Church of Scientology. ...
The term thetan is used in Scientology to mean something roughly synonymous with spirit or soul. ...
In Church of Scientology doctrine, the subjects of supernatural or superhuman powers and abilities are ones that recur often. ...
In Scientology doctrine, space opera was the term used by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard to describe extraterrestrial civilizations and alien interventions. ...
In Scientology doctrine, Xenu (also Xemu) is an alien ruler of the Galactic Confederacy who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of people to Earth, stacked them around volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. ...
The Church of Scientology bases most of their beliefs on human history from the information provided from the Churchs founder, L. Ron Hubbard. ...
Past Lives redirects here. ...
In Church of Scientology doctrine, there have been a number of controversial medical claims made, usually centered around their auditing process, which uses a device called an E-meter to analyze and treat a persons so-called Reactive mind and Body Thetans. These claims range from the 1950 publication...
In the Church of Scientology, It has long been considered essential that the word of founder L. Ron Hubbard is incontrovertible, and that his works, or Tech, must be preserved unaltered. ...
This article examines the beliefs and practices of Scientology as taught by the Church of Scientology. ...
Study tech, or study technology, is a method of study, devised and spelled out by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology. ...
This article is in need of attention. ...
Disconnection is a practice in Scientology, in which a Scientologist severs all ties between themselves and friends, colleagues, or family members who criticize Scientology practices. ...
In Scientology, a rundown is a procedure set out as a series of steps to produce a particular end result, or phenomena. ...
The Scientology Justice system is a means for a Scientology organization to take action against a member whose conduct or actions are viewed as highly desctructive or offensive by an executive within the organization. ...
R2-45 is one of the Auditing Processes used by the Church of Scientology. ...
In the Scientology religion, MEST is an acronym for Matter, Energy, Space and Time, considered by Scientologists to be the four component parts of the physical universe. ...
ARC is a fundamental concept in Scientology doctrine. ...
The Tone scale in Scientology technology is a characterization of human behavior and bodily appearance. ...
The reactive mind is defined in Dianetics as the portion of a persons mind which works on a totally stimulus-response basis, which is not under his volitional (willing) control, and which exerts force and the power of command over his awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and actions. ...
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (13 March 1911 – 24 January 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was a prolific American author and founder of Scientology and Dianetics. ...
David Miscavige (born April 30, 1960) is Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center (RTC)[1], a corporation that owns the trademarked names and symbols of Dianetics and Scientology. ...
Tory Christman (former married name Tory Bezazian; online name Magoo) born 1947, is a former member of the Church of Scientology who left the organization in 2000, after being a member for about three decades. ...
Lisa McPherson (born Lisa Skonetski, February 10, 1959–December 5, 1995) was a Scientologist who died while in the care of the Church of Scientology (CoS). ...
Arnaldo (Arnie) Pagliarini Lerma (b. ...
Karin Spaink (born December 20, 1957 in Amsterdam) is a journalist, writer and feminist. ...
The Oxford Capacity Analysis (OCA) is a personality test that is given for free by the Church of Scientology. ...
The Volunteer Minister program is a worldwide effort founded by the Church of Scientology International. ...
The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR; also sometimes known as the Citizens Committee on Human Rights) is an advocacy group established in 1969 by the Church of Scientology and Thomas Szasz. ...
The Association for Better Living and Education (A.B.L.E.) is a secular branch of the Church of Scientology. ...
World Institute of Scientology Enterprises (WISE) is an organization that educates and assists businesses in the use of Scientology management techniques. ...
Founded in 1983, the Concerned Businessmens Association of America (CBAA) is an element of the Scientology movement directed at promoting moral education and enhanced well-being through the use of Hubbards The Way to Happiness booklet in their Set A Good Example (SAGE) program, which holds childrens...
Narconon is not associated with Narcotics Anonymous, which is sometimes abbreviated Narcanon. Scientologys Narconon is an in-patient rehabilitation program for drug abusers in several dozen treatment centers worldwide, chiefly in the United States and western Europe. ...
Criminon is a secular non proft 501 C3 working with government departments and inmates to reduce recidivism and restore self respect to the inmate. ...
Scientology and Celebrities // Scientology benefits for Celebrities Free Scientology services costing up to $1,000 dollars per hour. ...
This is a list of Scientology organizations operated by the Church of Scientology (CoS), including Church offices, missions, Celebrity Centres and publicized Scientology and Dianetics groups. ...
The Sea Org logo. ...
The Church of Scientology was founded in December 1953 in New Jersey by the late fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, his then wife Mary Sue Hubbard, John Galusha and a few others [1], although Scientology clubs had been operating for at least a year before that. ...
Celebrity Centres are Church of Scientology centers that are open to the public but serve mostly artists and celebrities and other professionals, leaders and promising new-comers in the fields of the arts, sports, management and government. ...
The Church of Scientology maintains a large base on the outskirts of Trementina, New Mexico. ...
The Office of Special Affairs (OSA) is a department of the Church of Scientology responsible for directing legal affairs, publicizing the Churchs social betterment works, and oversee[ing its] social reform programs. Observers outside the Church have characterized the department as an intelligence agency, comparing it variously to the...
The Gold Base is the headquarters of Golden Era Productions, the media division of the Church of Scientology, located near Hemet, California with the address of: 19625 Highway 79, Gilman Hot Springs, CA 92583. ...
The International Association of Scientologists (IAS) was formed in October 1984 by a group of selected Scientologists, who assembled at Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, Sussex, England. ...
The Religious Technology Center (RTC) is a non-profit organization established in 1982 by the Church of Scientology to control and oversee the uses of all of the trademarks, symbols and sacred texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of the religions founder, L. Ron Hubbard. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
In Scientology, a formally condemned and shunned heretic or wrongdoer is labelled a Suppressive Person, often abbreviated SP. L. Ron Hubbard coined the term to refer to enemies of the Church of Scientology, whose suppressive acts are said to impede the progress of Scientology. ...
Fair Game is a status assigned to those whom the Church of Scientology has officially declared to be Suppressive Persons or Suppressive Persons are those whose actions are deemed to suppress or damage Scientology or a Scientologist. ...
Operation Snow-White was the name given internally by the Church of Scientology to a program which included the largest incident of private domestic espionage in the history of the United States. ...
Operation PC Freakout was the name given by the Church of Scientology to a covert plan undertaken by the Church in 1976, with the goal of harassing Paulette Cooper, author of a book critical of Scientology titled The Scandal of Scientology. The plan came to light when the FBI seized...
Scientology versus the Internet is the colloquial term for a long-running online dispute between the Church of Scientology and a number of the Churchs online critics. ...
Patter drills are a drilling method used in courses in the Church of Scientology which were added to many Church courses in mid-1995, by David Miscavige. ...
Trapped in the Closet is episode 912 (#137) of the Comedy Central series South Park. ...
The Fishman Affidavit is a set of court documents submitted by ex-Scientologist Steven Fishman in 1994 containing criticisms of the Church of Scientology and, controversially, substantial portions of the Operating Thetan course materials. ...
Scientology pays members commissions on new recruits they bring in, so Scientology members routinely try to sell Scientology to others. ...
The Church of Scientology was founded in December 1953 in New Jersey by the late fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, his then wife Mary Sue Hubbard, John Galusha and a few others [1], although Scientology clubs had been operating for at least a year before that. ...
Legal disputes initiated by Scientology often fall into one of the following categories:
- Alleged copyright infringements. Scientology’s religious documents are copyrighted, and many are available only to members who pay for higher levels of courses and auditing.
- Claims of religious discrimination. The church has brought several cases before the European Court of Human Rights challenging refusals to recognize local Scientology groups as religious organizations[1].
The Church of Scientology was once legally protected by the Guardian's Office (GO), established by the church. In the years since its inception, the Church of Scientology's lawsuits filed against newspapers, magazines, government agencies (including the United States tax collecting unit, the IRS), and individuals have numbered in the thousands. In 1991, Time magazine estimated that the Church spends an average of about $20 million per year on various legal actions[2], and it is the exclusive client of several law firms. Legal Disclaimer: this page contains legal information for reference and education, but it is not legal advice–the application of law to an individuals specific circumstances. ...
This article is in need of attention. ...
In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ...
In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ...
(Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...
European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg The European Court of Human Rights, often referred to informally as the Strasbourg Court, was created to systematise the hearing of human rights complaints from Council of Europe member states. ...
. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the tax laws. ...
The Church’s view
Scientologists claim that the church’s main goal is to be recognized as a religion, which on occasion has met resistance from opponents (including national governments), and this has forced it to have recourse to the courts. In some instances the church has succeeded in overcoming such resistance, although occasionally this has required protracted court battles. For example, Scientology’s path to legal recognition as a religion in New Zealand took 48 years and several lawsuits. [3]
Other efforts have had less success. In 1999, the United Kingdom rejected an application for charity status and the attendant tax benefits [4]. The church applied for Canadian tax-exempt status in 1998[1], was reportedly rejected in 1999[2], and is not registered as a charity as of May 2006.[3]
Some governments have labelled the church as a cult. German [5] and Belgian government entities have called it a "totalitarian cult" and a "commercial enterprise," while a 1995 parliamentary report in France classified it, along with 172 other religious groups), as a "dangerous cult" [6] (French original here). In Russia, the government has refused to register the church as a religious organisation, which is the currently the subject of proceedings before the European Court of Human Rights in the cases of Kimlya v. Russia and Church of Scientology Moscow v. Russia. [7][8] In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people (often a relatively small and recently founded religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. ...
The concept of Totalitarianism is a typology or ideal-type used by some political scientists to encapsulate the characteristics of a number of twentieth century regimes that mobilized entire populations in support of the state or an ideology. ...
European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg The European Court of Human Rights, often referred to informally as the Strasbourg Court, was created to systematise the hearing of human rights complaints from Council of Europe member states. ...
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has expressed concerns that such government initiatives and activities, especially such as occurred in France, have "fuelled an atmosphere of intolerance toward members of minority religious groups"[9]. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a US government agency created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor the status of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion or belief abroad, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related international instruments...
Critics’ views Critics allege that the ultimate aim of Scientology lawsuits is to destroy church opponents by forcing them into bankruptcy or submission, using its resources to pursue frivolous lawsuits at considerable cost to defendants. In doing so, they draw particular attention to certain controversial statements made by the church’s founder, L. Ron Hubbard, in the 1950’s and 1960’s. In courts, a defense or claim is termed frivolous if it is presented in spite of the fact that both the party and the partys attorney knew that it had no merit and it did not argue for a reasonable extension or reinterpretation of the law or no underlying...
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (13 March 1911 – 24 January 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was a prolific American author and founder of Scientology and Dianetics. ...
In 1994, for example, Scientology attorney Helena Kobrin was fined $17,775 for filing a frivolous lawsuit. [10] U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema cited a frequently quoted statement of L. Ron Hubbard on the subject in the case of Religious Technology Center vs. The Washington Post, on November 28, 1995 [11]: Moxon & Kobrin are a law firm located in Los Angeles, California, consisting of Kendrick Moxon, Helena Kobrin, and Ava Paquette. ...
Courtroom sketch by Bill Hennessy Leonie M. Brinkema (born 1944, in Teaneck, New Jersey) is a United States District Court judge, in the Eastern District of Virginia. ...
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (13 March 1911 – 24 January 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was a prolific American author and founder of Scientology and Dianetics. ...
- "The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage rather than win. The law can be used very easily to harass, and enough harassment on somebody who is simply on the thin edge anyway, well knowing that he is not authorized, will generally be sufficient to cause professional decease. If possible, of course, ruin him utterly."—L. Ron Hubbard, The Scientologist, a Manual on the Dissemination of Material, 1955
Critics also allege that the Church uses litigation as a cover for intimidation tactics, such as investigating the criminal records of opponents (or lack thereof) and subjecting them to surveillance and invasive inquiries, both to discourage further criticism and to ensure the opponent's unwillingness to fight the lawsuit. A policy letter by L. Ron Hubbard, distributed in early 1966, admonishes: Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (13 March 1911 – 24 January 1986), better known as L. Ron Hubbard, was a prolific American author and founder of Scientology and Dianetics. ...
- This is correct procedure:
- (1) Spot who is attacking us.
- (2) Start investigating them promptly for FELONIES or worse using own professionals, not outside agencies.
- (3) Double curve our reply by saying we welcome an investigation of them.
- (4) Start feeding lurid, blood sex crime actual evidence on the attackers to the press.
- Don't ever tamely submit to an investigation of us. Make it rough, rough on attackers all the way.[4]
Opponents of Scientology cite this passage, among others, to support their contentions that the church uses smear tactics to augment the effectiveness of legal threats.
Notable Scientology court cases Notable Scientology court cases include the following: - Court case in 1979 and criminal convictions of 11 high-ranking officials regarding Operation Snow White, the largest program of domestic espionage in U.S. history.
- From the time its tax exemption was removed by the IRS in 1967, to the reinstatement of the tax exemption in 1993, Scientologists filed approximately 2,500 lawsuits against the IRS. Over fifty lawsuits were still active against the IRS in 1993, although these were settled after the church negotiated a tax exemption with the government.
- The Cult Awareness Network (CAN) was driven into bankruptcy in part by a number of Scientology-related lawsuits (CAN had also been held liable for over $1 million in damages for the kidnapping and abusive deprogramming of a member of the Life Tabernacle Church, a church unaffiliated with Scientology [12]). As the TV news program 60 Minutes reported in 1997, Scientologists filed over fifty lawsuits against the non-profit organization, which spent over $2 million on its legal defense. After one court handed down a judgment of $1 million against CAN, the organization filed for bankruptcy and auctioned off its assets, which were purchased for $20,000 by a lawyer affiliated with Scientology.
- In May of 1991, Time Magazine published a cover story on Scientology.[13] The Church responded by suing Time for $400 million, and a five-year legal battle ensued in which Time spent approximately $7 million defending itself in court. The case was eventually dismissed in the magazine's favor.
- Scientology has filed lawsuits against a number of Internet users, The Washington Post newspaper, over fifteen various Internet service providers in The Netherlands, and others concerned in the matter of Karin Spaink, a supporter of Arnie Lerma and other Internet activists who posted on her Web page excerpts from Scientology's copyrighted scriptures, which are withheld from the general public. This legal case included claims by Scientology that hyperlinks to alleged copyright infringements were also illegal. Spaink's case was taken all the way to the Supreme Court of the Netherlands; however, the Court rejected Scientology's claims in their entirety, including the claims regarding hyperlinks. [14]
- When the Church was charged with a felony count of practicing medicine without a license in the 1996 case involving the death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson, Florida asked for damages of approximately $15,000 to be awarded against the organization. The Church hired law firms and medical specialists at an estimated cost of over $1 million, waging a defense that eventually resulted in the case being dismissed due to lack of credible evidence. On May 29, 2004, the Church paid an undisclosed amount to settle a wrongful death suit brought on behalf of McPherson's estate. An article on the suit describes legal attacks made by Scientology's attorneys:
-
- "[McPherson family attorney Ken] Dandar has persevered through a seemingly endless barrage of legal attacks. There have been nine attempts to disqualify him, and four attempts to remove Lisa's aunt, Dell Liebreich, as executor of Lisa's estate. Scientology attorneys have filed bar complaints against both him and Lirot, lawsuits against Lisa's family, and motions to remove judges and move the case to other venues. When asked how going up against Scientology compares to normal litigation, [First Amendment attorney Luke]Lirot replied, "It's like comparing LSD to orange juice." As of this writing, the wrongful death case has gone through four judges in seven years. A trial date has still not been set." — David S. Touretzky, Razor (Web-based magazine) article, "A Church’s Lethal Contract," January 2004 [15] (The McPherson case was settled out of court shortly after the publication of this article.)
- In the case of Wollersheim vs. Church of Scientology (1980), former member Larry Wollersheim sued the organization for mental distress, and was awarded $30 million in damages. Scientology vowed not to pay the award, and the case dragged through the courts for 22 years, including two separate appeals to the Supreme Court of the United States and two additional appeals to the California Supreme Court. In early 2002, the case was finally settled, with the Church of Scientology paying Larry Wollersheim $8,674,643.[16]
- In Religious Technology Center v. Gerbode, 1994 WL 228607 (C.D. Cal. 1994) (against Frank A. Gerbode, inventor of Traumatic Incident Reduction), a Rule 11 sanction of $8,887.50 was imposed against Helena K. Kobrin, Church attorney, for bringing baseless, frivolous claims.
- Bonnie Woods, a former member who was harassed when she spoke out about Scientology, sued for libel and in 1999 won £155,000 costs and damages and a court-ordered apology.[17][18]
Examples for Canada: Operation PC Freakout was the name given by the Church of Scientology to a covert plan undertaken by the Church in 1976, with the goal of harassing Paulette Cooper, author of a book critical of Scientology titled The Scandal of Scientology. The plan came to light when the FBI seized...
Paulette Cooper is an American author who is best known for activism against the Church of Scientology and the repercussions she suffered as a result. ...
Operation Snow-White was the name given internally by the Church of Scientology to a program which included the largest incident of private domestic espionage in the history of the United States. ...
. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the United States government agency that collects taxes and enforces the tax laws. ...
Cult Awareness Network - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...
Idiot box redirects here. ...
Sixty Minutes was also the replacement for the BBC current affairs programme Nationwide. ...
(Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...
The Washington Post is the largest and oldest newspaper in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. ...
The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ...
Karin Spaink (born December 20, 1957 in Amsterdam) is a journalist, writer and feminist. ...
Arnaldo Pagliarini Lerma, known as Arnie Lerma is an former Scientologist and a present critic of Scientology, who has appeared in television, media and radio interviews. ...
A hyperlink, or simply a link, is a reference in a hypertext document to another document or other resource. ...
Lisa McPherson (born Lisa Skonetski, February 10, 1959–December 5, 1995) was a Scientologist who died while in the care of the Church of Scientology (CoS). ...
Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area Ranked 22nd - Total 65,794 sq. ...
May 29 is the 149th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (150th in leap years). ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Dr. David S. Touretzky is a research professor in the Computer Science Department and the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition at Carnegie Mellon University. ...
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the judicial branch of the United States federal government. ...
The Supreme Court of California is the state supreme court in California. ...
Frank A. Gerbode is the creator of a psychotherapy known as Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR). ...
This article needs to be wikified. ...
- The Church of Scientology also paid the largest libel damage award in Canada's history in the case of Hill v. Church of Scientology of Toronto [1995] 2 S.C.R. 1130 (Supreme Court of Canada).
The Queen v. ...
Holding Charter does not protect individuals from tort of defamation. ...
The Supreme Court Building in Ottawa The Supreme Court of Canada (French: Cour suprême du Canada) is highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal for all litigants in the Canadian justice system. ...
See also ScienTOMogy is a parody site lampooning Tom Cruises involvement with Scientology. ...
References - ^ J. Saunders & T. Appleby, Scientology Seeks Tax Receipt Status, The Globe and Mail, 19 January 1998, A1, A6.
- ^ Charity status reported turned down, alt.religion.scientology newsgroup posting, 14 September 1999
- ^ Canada Revenue Agency Charity List
- ^ Attacks on Scientology by L. Ron Hubbard, "HCO Policy Letter of 15 February 1966"by http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/bfm/makeitro.htm]
The Globe and Mail is a large Canadian English language national newspaper based in Toronto. ...
January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...
September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ...
1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
External links - Scientology's official site in regards to the acceptance of the church as a religion
- specific legal actions, specific legal actions about intellectual property.
- Scientology Court Files, a site critical of Scientology
- Scientology and the Legal System, a site critical of Scientology
- An Introduction to Scientology, a site critical of Scientology
- Internet listings of Scientology court cases (Google search results)
- Chilling effects, a clearinghouse of legal documents
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