The EnlightenMeFree (EMF) Online Debate Forum

Scientology hearing ends abruptly
San Antonio Express

John MacCormac
,
Express-News

Copyright 2012 Express-News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

By John MacCormack

Friday, February 10, 2012

Page 1 of 1

A legal battle between the Church of Scientology and a former top church official that has included accounts of abuse and harsh treatment ended abruptly Friday.

“We have elected to withdraw our request for an injunction at this time,” Scientology lawyer George Spencer Jr. told Judge Martha Tanner. “Going forward in the case this way will prevent the defendant from using the court as a pulpit for false statements.”

And while Spencer expressed confidence that his client would prevail by filing for a summary judgment before trial, it was also clear that the church's legal strategy of suing Cook had backfired badly.

Her sworn testimony Thursday included lurid accounts of beatings, confinement and forced confessions under the alleged direction of longtime church leader
David Miscavige
.

It was clear from Spencer's remarks to the judge that the church wanted to avoid more bad publicity.

Cook, 50, spent 29 years with the church, rising to become its top official in Clearwater, Fla., the church's spiritual headquarters, before leaving under adverse circumstances in 2007.

According to a church spokeperson, she was treated with dignity and respect, until she was expelled in 2007, and has since become a heretic spreading lies and false stories.

Her account from the stand Thursday was somewhat different.

Her testimony also included accounts of being confined against her will by church officials on at least three occasions, including a horrific seven-week stint in “The Hole,” where church leaders were sent after falling out of favor.

After a later confinement, she testified that she was finally allowed to leave after threatening to commit suicide or bring in the police. Church officials had her and her husband,
Wayne Baumgarten
, sign extensive non-disclosure agreements.

Each was also given $50,000, which the church argued made the agreements binding.

Her lawyer, Ray Jeffrey, argued Thursday that the contracts were non-binding because they were imposed under “extreme duress.”

Soon after, the pair moved to San Antonio, and for the next five years, they kept a low profile. That ended in late December when they sent out a lengthy email to several thousand Scientologists that was mildly critical of church leadership.

Claiming she had broken the contract and disparaged the church, the church responded by suing her in Bexar County, seeking at least $300,000 and enforcement of the non-disclosure contract.

The church also obtained a temporary restraining order, prohibiting them from talking about the suit or about Scientology, and that was the matter being heard this week by Tanner.

When the hearing ended Friday, Spencer declined to comment.

Jeffrey, however, who had been expected to put witnesses hostile to the church on the stand, declared the outcome “a victory.”

“I'm exhausted but I feel good about it. We've won,” he said, declining further comment.

Yvonne Schick, 63, of Austin, a former church member watching the proceedings, said she was not surprised by the church's decision to end the proceeding.

“They miscalculated by letting things get to the point where Debbie Cook got on the stand and testified, although I don't know that it could have gotten any worse than it was yesterday,” she said.

“Because of how well-known and respected she was by people inside the church, this will be bad for morale and cause more people to exit,” she said.

Steve Hall, another former church member, who was also involved with the elite Sea Org group, agreed that the church had blundered by bringing suit against Cook and Baumgarten.

“I was a friend of Debbie Cook and still am. And I worked for David Miscavige for a long time,” said Hall, who maintains a website highly critical of the church.

Hall said he left the church in 2004 because he was disturbed by the rising levels of abuse and violence.

“I saw David Miscavige physically attack people on four occasions, and others where he ordered people beaten,” he said.

And he said, the church leader probably reacted badly at how the hearing had gone Thursday.

“Knowing David Miscavige, there was a spectacular meltdown yesterday. I bet he went berserk,” he said
.

jmaccormack@express-news.net





http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_ ... 241791.php

What a fascinating post. I wish I had been a fly on the wall for this hearing, or that Court TV covered the trial.

This is huge. The ramifications could be explosive as ex-members now have a precedent-setting trial to support them if they chose to talk.

JZ and her posse are most likely closely following this. I hope that some ex-RSE members who have been paid off by JZ will now feel empowered enough to honestly tell their side of the story.

CD

I would have loved to be another fly on the wall for that hearing. I forget the name of the gentleman, but about a year ago AM Cost To Cost had an ex Scientology member as a guest that if one belived the story - and it seemed very credible, virtually run for his life to escape the church's men goons that chased him down in black SUV trucks. It certainly squares with the article Joe posted.

I believe one could make a very good argument that RSE's non disclosure agreement that attendees are required to sign before being allowed access to an event is presented under duress to the attendees.

The agreement is presented take it or leave it. There is no opportunity to see the agreement in advance of the event and no time to carefully review the document because admission to the grounds is restricted until just before the start of an event. RSE also offers no refund if the attendee opts out of an event. Consider a student that may have, for example, travelled from New Zealand at a cost of thousands of dollars, committed to a week stay in the US, and spent $1,500 non-refundable or more on the event. Is it really reasonable to expect the antendee would not sign the agreement?

jzs methods of handling people, which crossed her, are more subtle. she was clever enough not to sue people on emf or elsewhere to avoid exactly this scenario.

ex
good point re JZ. Selfish instinct and experience [20/20 tv show in 1987] tells her she would be exposed as a fruitcake and manipulative b*tch if her cult again received national attention after she sued an ex-member--that is an ex-member with guts and sanity enough to withstand the legal and psychological onslaught, not to mention financial. Scientology's problem is Miscavage, who on the arrogant coattails of his mentor L Ron H, will never "turn the other cheek" that high officials in Co$ repeat as a mantra almost. Miscavage by all reliable accounts is an abusive little prick, aka megalomaniac. Thus far he and Co$ have succeeded in cowering ex-members as well as the IRS in insidious ways and concrete ways I mentioned above--ex-member phobia is enough to shrink all effort to expose a cult like that. But there is strength in numbers and many former high Co$ officials have been turning on their abuser with snarling teeth lately. Finally....

The Co$ cult lawyers [I've been deposed and harrassed by them] spend an inordinate amount of money and time using every possible loophole in litigation. It was money and ruthless courtroom tactics that enabled Co$ to take down the original Cult Awareness Network in 1996. CAN had little money, an inept lawyer, and no real popular support (Cults are just collections of crazy people to the mainstream public)--as a result, the CAN logo, trademark and ph number are now "owned" by Scientology.

Germany, Israel, France and England are not so legally naive as we are in the USA when it comes to harmful, deceitful cults, but they have their issues too as the same groups are active but without the tax exemptions.

jz is still alive. and rse is a misly inc compared to scientology spread world wide. just some comparison. maybe jz pulls even with the celebs. good that society sees cults as a real thing and that its not so easy hiding behind a religious set up anymore.