After Cruise, Moss, and Shelly noms, Valerie Haney called ‘obstructionist’ by Scientology

Karen#1

Well-known member
TONY ORTEGA
Excerpt:

[Scientology attorney William Forman and Valerie Haney]
In advance of Thursday’s court hearing in Valerie Haney’s kidnapping and harassment lawsuit, Scientology’s attorney William Forman has filed a declaration accusing Valerie of “obstructionist tactics and bad faith selection of unavailable arbitrators.”

Valerie filed her lawsuit in 2019 accusing Scientology of keeping her against her will for years as a Sea Org worker at Int Base, near Hemet, California. She said she had to escape her tenure there by literally hiding in the trunk of a car driven by an actor who was on the base to film something.

After her escape, Valerie went to work as an assistant to actress Leah Remini, and Valerie’s story became the subject of the premiere episode of the third and final season of Remini’s A&E series, Scientology and the Aftermath.

Valerie alleged that after she had left Scientology, she had been subjected to surveillance, intimidation, and also libelous attacks on the Internet by Scientology.

But the church successfully convinced Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard Burdge that Valerie had signed employment contracts which obliged her not to sue in court and to submit any grievances to Scientology’s own internal brand of “religious arbitration.”

After trying unsuccessfully multiple times to convince Judge Burdge to reconsider his ruling, and with a new judge, Gail Killefer, assigned to the case, Valerie was told to start the arbitration process or risk having her lawsuit dismissed.

That first step in Scientology’s arbitration would involve Valerie nominating an arbitrator who had to be a member of Scientology in good standing. (Scientology would then choose a second arbitrator, and those two arbitrators would choose a third. All three would have to be church members.)

Objecting to the process, Valerie cheekily nominated Elisabeth Moss, Tom Cruise, and Shelly Miscavige in succession. After all, they were all Scientologists in good standing, right?

Forman let Judge Killefer know that the church is not amused.

In between July 2022 and now, Plaintiff has acted only to obstruct the arbitration, as shown by her bad faith selections of arbitrators. On July 1, Plaintiff named as her arbitrator Elisabeth Moss. Ms. Moss is a famous film and television actress and producer, known for her starring roles in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and “Mad Men.” She has won two Emmy awards, two Golden Globes, and appeared in over 50 films. A quick internet search would reveal that she resides in New York and is often filming and producing throughout the world.
On August 11, 2022, the International Justice Chief (“IJC”) of the Church of Scientology wrote to Plaintiff informing her that Ms. Moss had declined to serve as her arbitrator. The IJC instructed Plaintiff to select another arbitrator within 15 days. Plaintiff immediately shared this letter with an anti-Scientology blogger, announcing Ms. Moss’ decision to decline to serve as an arbitrator.
On August 23, 2022, Plaintiff, through her attorney, sent a letter nominating two arbitrators: Tom Cruise and Shelly Miscavige. As with her other correspondence with the IJC, she circulated this letter to an anti-Scientology blogger, resulting in world-wide press.
These “nominations” were patently ludicrous. Shelly Miscavige is the wife of David Miscavige, who is not only the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion but also a named defendant in this lawsuit and in Plaintiff’s arbitration demand. Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint (which she also submitted as her arbitration demand) even contains allegations concerning Mrs. Miscavige. And Plaintiff could not have thought for a moment that Tom Cruise would be available to serve as an arbitrator of her claims.
…On November 23, 2022, the IJC responded to Plaintiff, informing her that Mr. Cruise and Mrs. Miscavige were not available to sit as arbitrators of her claims….It has been over two months, and Plaintiff has never responded to this letter, or otherwise indicated a selection of other arbitrators. But there is one thing she had done promptly: she immediately shared the IJC’s November 23, 2022 letter with the press.
Imagine that, world-wide press resulting from something posted by a scurrilous anti-Scientology blogger on the fringes of the Internet. By Xenu’s ghost!

Anyway, as to that last assertion, that Valerie hasn’t submitted anything in the last two months, we don’t know what’s up with that. And we don’t know yet what her attorneys are going to say in Thursday’s hearing.

Has Valerie given up on this legal farce? Do her attorneys have something else up their sleeves? We’ll keep an eye on it.

Observer reaches Blue Whale Kha-Khan status!
In 2018, we decided to have some fun with Scientology’s obsession with “status levels” for large donors. So we created our own whimsical status levels for our commenters over at the dot org site, and based them on the coin of the realm: upvotes.

We call Scientology’s big donors “whales,” so we appropriated that motif for our own statuses. And hence, the Underground Bunker’s whales were born.

Every once in a while, you may see us give updates as commenters reach new plateaus as their upvotes pile up. They might start out as Minnow Champions, and progress through Marlin Straightwire, Great White Shark Super Power, and Narwhal Humanitarian, to mention just a few.

But one status level was above all the rest: Blue Whale Kha-Khan, representing 500,000 upvotes to achieve. We originally put it there thinking of it as a sort of impossible final goal. No one would ever get that many upvotes, would they?

Well, today we’re recognizing Lynette “Observer” Waggoner for being the first Underground Bunker regular to reach this stupendous level of achievement.

Hip, hip, hooray! Not only is Lynette a great commenter at the Bunker, she’s our resident illustrator, and also a member of the Group Therapy podcast.

And now she’s Blue Whale Kha-Khan and has a license to kill!



Thank you for reading today’s story here at Substack. For the full picture of what’s happening today in the world of Scientology, please join the conversation at tonyortega.org, where we’ve been reporting daily on David Miscavige’s cabal since 2012. There you’ll find additional stories, and our popular regular daily features:

Source Code: Actual things founder L. Ron Hubbard said on this date in history

Avast, Ye Mateys: Snapshots from Scientology’s years at sea

Overheard in the Freezone: Indie Hubbardism, one thought at a time

Past is Prologue: From this week in history at alt.religion.scientology

Random Howdy: Your daily dose of the Captain

Here’s the link for today’s post at tonyortega.org

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Karakorum

Ron is the source that will lead you to grief
There's tons of other people who can be named as they are either quietly out, or the choich wants to keep em outta the spotlight:
Heber, Cathy Bell, Laura Prepon, Tommy fi-ng Davis...

How about that guy whatshisface who was convicted as a pedo? He's still in good standin' right? ;)
 

mimsey borogrove

Well-known member
There's tons of other people who can be named as they are either quietly out, or the choich wants to keep em outta the spotlight:
Heber, Cathy Bell, Laura Prepon, Tommy fi-ng Davis...

How about that guy whatshisface who was convicted as a pedo? He's still in good standin' right? ;)
I think her strategy is to show that the arbitration selection of an arbitrator, is inherently unfair, because only people who are in good standing can serve, and won't be fair in their recommendations / findings or risk ethics trouble.

"These “nominations” were patently ludicrous. Shelly Miscavige is the wife of David Miscavige, who is not only the ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion but also a named defendant in this lawsuit and in Plaintiff’s arbitration demand. Plaintiff’s First Amended Complaint (which she also submitted as her arbitration demand) even contains allegations concerning Mrs. Miscavige. And Plaintiff could not have thought for a moment that Tom Cruise would be available to serve as an arbitrator of her claims "

It doesn't appear from this comment from the defending attorney that they even bothered to ask the persons she named - in other words - they are accusing her of the same obstruction they are doing.

Heber is in a nursing home, and Tommy is SO on LOA as far as I know.

Mimsey
 

Karakorum

Ron is the source that will lead you to grief
Here's another plan. She nominates my mom. Then have me stand in the door. My mom sees me, and bravely runs away like the wuss that she is, too afraid of getting those SP cooties all over her and getting in ethics trouble.

Then Valerie claims the arbitrator ran away to derail the whole shoobang. Case closed ;)

Tommy is SO on LOA as far as I know.
That's some LOA... what over 10 years now? Is he gonna stay on the LOA for 27 years to see if he gets reincarnated while still alive? :screwy:

All BS.
 
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mimsey borogrove

Well-known member
Here's another plan. She nominates my mom. Then have me stand in the door. My mom sees me, and bravely runs away like the wuss that she is, too afraid of getting those SP cooties all over her and getting in ethics trouble.

Then Valerie claims the arbitrator ran away to derail the whole shoobang. Case closed ;)



That's some LOA... what over 10 years now? Is he gonna stay on the LOA for 27 years to see if he gets reincarnated while still alive? :screwy:

All BS.
His mom's a celeb,and he was working for Packer - hence the long LOA

Mimsey
 

Karakorum

Ron is the source that will lead you to grief
His mom's a celeb,and he was working for Packer - hence the long LOA

Mimsey
I know the reasons. I'm just mocking the absurdity of all that he is doing from an SO perspective.

Hey, maybe I can rejoin and we can call that a 15 year long LOA?
;)
 

Dotey OT

Re-Membered
I know the reasons. I'm just mocking the absurdity of all that he is doing from an SO perspective.

Hey, maybe I can rejoin and we can call that a 15 year long LOA? ;)
Maybe the amends that you would have to do won't be so bad, since they are needing people. Sadly, I don't think that I would be hco qualled anymore though.
 

mimsey borogrove

Well-known member
I know the reasons. I'm just mocking the absurdity of all that he is doing from an SO perspective.

Hey, maybe I can rejoin and we can call that a 15 year long LOA? ;)
if you can land Packer - any long term LOA is justified.:beer:

Mimsey
 
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mimsey borogrove

Well-known member
The below is from Tony's daily email from substack. In the fourth paragraph, Thompson is repeating the grievance that the Garcia's had to deal with - the church playing Calvinball. Mimsey


Earlier this week, we told you that Scientology attorney William Forman submitted a declaration ahead of today’s hearing, complaining that Valerie was being “obstructionist” with her nominations, and complaining that she wasn’t taking the process seriously. (And also bellyaching about documents in the case getting out to a certain website on the fringes of Internet.)

But Valerie’s attorney Bobby Thompson’s response just came in and it asks, well, what’s actually wrong with nominating someone like Elisabeth Moss as arbitrator? She’s a member of Scientology in good standing right?

Plaintiff, selected, as she was instructed to do, an arbitrator who by all accounts is a member of Scientology in good standing, which is the only thing that was required of her… Defendants seem to take issue with this selection citing that Elisabeth Moss, Plaintiff’s selected arbitrator, has appeared in “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Mad Men.” This is the first time that Defendants are now attempting to place further unilateral limitations on who Plaintiff can select as her arbitrator further showing the farce that this religious arbitration truly is.
Thompson goes on to point out that they have repeatedly asked for copies of the rules of this arbitration, and Scientology has refused to send something. And the church seems to be making up rules as they go along: You can nominate a Scientologist in good standing, but they can’t be a famous actor? Where does it say that?

Scientology is asking for Judge Killefer to dismiss Valerie’s lawsuit because she’s not taking the arbitration process seriously. And Valerie is asking the judge to conclude that the arbitration process is a joke and to allow the lawsuit to be revived.

1675347427221.png
 

Reyne Mayer

Pansexual Revolutionary
I think her strategy is to show that the arbitration selection of an arbitrator, is inherently unfair, because only people who are in good standing can serve, and won't be fair in their recommendations / findings or risk ethics trouble.
i think it also exposes how fundamentally obstructionist the CoS is, though in its own typical deviously underhanded way. they claim that someone can pick an arbitrator, but it's really very limited to who they'd want to serve the organization; for example if someone could find a person still formally in good standing who say was really UTR and a friend who might be favorable, it seems likely the CoS would find a way to object to that person if they found it out -- including saying that they really weren't in good standing.
 

mimsey borogrove

Well-known member
i think it also exposes how fundamentally obstructionist the CoS is, though in its own typical deviously underhanded way. they claim that someone can pick an arbitrator, but it's really very limited to who they'd want to serve the organization; for example if someone could find a person still formally in good standing who say was really UTR and a friend who might be favorable, it seems likely the CoS would find a way to object to that person if they found it out -- including saying that they really weren't in good standing.
I doubt they asked moss, cruise and shelly. They just arbitrarily said no, much like the Garcia arbitration - they kept rejecting suggestions, and the judge ended up making the selections himself. It still went off the rails.

No scientologist in good standing or pretending to be in good standing would rule in her favor. In the Garcia case, it was a token slap on the wrist to make the judge happy.
Mimsey
 

mimsey borogrove

Well-known member
A good idea for Valerie is to nominate all the people that turned the Garcia's down - they are (were?) in good standing and if they refuse... we're back to the judge making the selection.

Mimsey
 

HelluvaHoax!

Well-known member
..
What happens if Valerie nominates an extensive list of celebrities who once were in Scn or did a course or received auditing, but blew?

Like. . .

Beck
Jerry Seinfeld
Jennifer Lopez
Jason Lee
Laura Prepon
Nicole Kidman
Katie Holmes
Brad Pitt
Demi Moore
Mimi Rogers
Neil Gaiman
Jeffrey Tambor
Russell Crowe
Will Smith
...etc


Of course Scientology would reject all those, but then Valeries' legal team could demand to see "something in writing" (per standard Scientology scripture/policy) that has the DATE and the BILL OF PARTICULARS of all the "high crimes" and "suppressive acts" that the celebrity is accused of which caused them to forfeit "good standing". Scientology does not have anything in writing on any of its blown celebrities--and if it did, they would lie and do anything else conceivable to not produce such devastating material that would forever prevent celebrities from going near the cult.

I doubt they even have a written DECLARE ORDER on Leah Remini.

Naturally, this strategy would not help recruit acceptable candidates for the arbitration, but it would be a lot of fun to see the cult publicly squirm and try to sleaze their way out of producing the WRITTEN PROOF that the proposed parties are "not in good standing".

It's an insane strategy, but the entire case is entirely crazy to begin with, where Scientology gets to play judge, jury and executioner with a blown and declared SP who is not even in the cult, but is commanded to be "handled" by only cult members. That is quite crazy at every imaginable level of reason, rationality and justice. It reminds me of something I have mentioned every few years on this website:

SCIENTOLOGY - Where the ethics officer turns out to be your rapist



ps: It is generally believed that the undue and unjust protections Scientology enjoys in the courts is due to it being a religion. What is overlooked is the additional and secondary level of protection that the cult enjoys--California courts.

.

...
 
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Type4_PTS

Well-known member
As Tony O said in his video earlier, this whole thing is really insane. Valerie had to literally escape from the CoS. Does this judge believe that kidnapping is protected by the First Amendment? LOL It's like being raped and then having your rapist serve as your arbitrator in your effort to seek justice. What are the chances he'll rule in your favor?
 

mimsey borogrove

Well-known member
As Tony O said in his video earlier, this whole thing is really insane. Valerie had to literally escape from the CoS. Does this judge believe that kidnapping is protected by the First Amendment? LOL It's like being raped and then having your rapist serve as your arbitrator in your effort to seek justice. What are the chances he'll rule in your favor?
The judge has no idea of how a com ev works and how it is rigged against an sp. She thinks it's a cut and dried arbitration, that meets legal standards. I have no idea if Valerie's attorney educated the judge and if not, he should.

Mimsey
 
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