Leah Remini’s 2024 facilities on her bombshell defamation and harassment lawsuit in opposition to the Church of Scientology.
Again-to-back hearings within the civil case
On Jan. 16, there was a three-hour listening to within the case on the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles. Decide Randolph M. Hammock tentatively dominated within the Church of Scientology’s favor that a number of the King of Queens actress and Scientology critic’s defamation claims could be stricken from the lawsuit, in keeping with Courthouse Information Service.
Nonetheless, most of her harassment claims would stay in place — and the case would proceed. The listening to was continued to Friday, when it’s going to decide up once more.
Hammock can also be figuring out whether or not to grant Remini an injunction — which might bar the group from overtly criticizing her whereas this case performs out. He stated he doubtless won’t difficulty the injunction, however requested her authorized group to current a current instance of the group’s harassment to assist him determine.
Listening to highlights
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Hammock stated that going via the Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology writer’s 68-page grievance, allegation by allegation, was “in all probability the toughest I’ve ever labored on a selected movement” in his 15 years on the bench. Hammock is contemplating the protection’s try to intestine Remini’s case, arguing that it falls below free speech.
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Hammock stated that a lot of Remini’s defamation claims do not fall throughout the one-year statute of limitations, that means they are going to doubtless be stricken from the lawsuit. Others she cited are issues of opinion, not truth, so they aren’t “actionable.” For instance, the group bashed Remini in an open letter when she was employed as a sport present host, writing on a Scientology web site dedicated to Remini criticism, “What’s subsequent? A sport present ‘hosted’ by a KKK chief? Neo-Nazi Jeopardy?” Hammock stated whereas the assertion was “not very good,” it is the group’s “proper below the First Modification.” Nonetheless, some defamation claims will doubtless survive, together with that the group “used and manipulated” Remini’s estranged and now-dead father and his third spouse to “make false statements about Ms. Remini,” calling her a liar and saying she would not pay for his most cancers remedies. The choose stated that the church might have revealed them with “a reckless disregard of the info.”
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So far as Remini’s harassment claims, Hammock stated they’re unlikely to be thrown out. Remini’s allegations included that the group put in surveillance expertise on her neighbor’s house to spy on her. The church is attempting to dismiss these allegations, citing “pre-litigation surveillance,” which is “protected conduct” of their movement, however the choose did not see it that approach. “The court docket sees no public curiosity within the surveillance of personal residents — even celebrities — below an unsupported suspicion that litigation could happen at some later time,” he wrote.
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Hammock additionally stated he’d doubtless permit at the least a few of Remini’s claims that the church interfered together with her enterprise relationships, citing iHeartRadio and AudioBoom via which she broadcast her podcasts, together with the Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath Podcast. Whereas the group can train free speech rights … it can not “ship brokers to harass the podcast’s producers and workers to the purpose that they feared for his or her security,” the choose wrote.
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The lawsuit is in opposition to the Church of Scientology Worldwide, a department of the group known as the Non secular Expertise Middle (RTC) and its chief David Miscavige. A lawyer for the RTC argued that the lawsuit did not particularly join the RTC to the stalking and harassment, so it ought to be eliminated as a defendant, in keeping with journalist Tony Ortega, who was in court docket. Remini’s attorneys had been instructed to current connections between the harassment and the RTC or the RTC may very well be eliminated as a defendant.
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Remini is looking for an injunction to cease the defendants from “continued stalking, harassing and in any other case illegal interference” as this lawsuit performs out. Hammock stated he was leaning in opposition to granting it, however requested her group to deliver proof of the newest instance of the Church of Scientology harassing her.
Again in court docket
On Jan. 19, the listening to will decide up the place it left off with the choose figuring out whether or not to strike the defamation claims. There’s additionally a listening to on whether or not Remini can be granted the preliminary injunction and a listening to on requests for media protection of the case.
What’s this lawsuit all about?
In 2013, Remini left the Church of Scientology — of which she was a 35-year member — over rising discontent with its rules and the practices of high-ranking members. She grew to become considered one of its chief critics, writing a e book about it in addition to creating reveals and podcasts delving into the allegations swirling across the controversial group. The church fought again, creating a whole web site dedicated to Remini assaults.
In September, Remini filed her bombshell lawsuit in opposition to the group — of which Tom Cruise, John Travolta and the now-incarcerated Danny Masterson are well-known members — and chief Miscavige. She claimed that she has been “stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened, intimidated” and is the sufferer of “intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors” over her criticism of the group. Amongst her claims is that she was punished for her conduct at Cruise’s 2006 wedding ceremony to Katie Holmes and was held afterward at a Scientology facility for 4 months.
To make amends, she needed to make financial donations to issues Cruise would really like. She estimates she spent $5 million throughout her time as a Scientologist on packages and donations. She additionally claimed a mentally in poor health man has been paid by the Church of Scientology to surveil her. (Learn her most jaw-dropping claims.)
What has the Church of Scientology stated about her lawsuit?
The group known as her lawsuit “ludicrous” and “frivolous” and the allegations inside it “pure lunacy.” It branded her a “horrible particular person and poisonous to so many who’ve the misfortune to come back involved together with her.” (Learn its assertion.)
