Type4_PTS
Well-known member
This is from Leah's Substack:
Apr 24, 2026
leahremini.substack.com
This is a detailed account. It is meant to be read, not skimmed.
I have been working on this piece for days.
I have been told it is too long, that it will be lost, that people will not read it. I understand those concerns.
But since Mike Rinder’s passing, it has been very difficult for me to post anything at all.
For years, I would consult with Mike before publishing or posting anything related to Scientology. Not only for accuracy, but for the comfort of hearing my friend say, “This is good, Lee Lee.”
He was not just my closest friend. He was an expert on Scientology, someone who understood the system from the inside in a way very few people could.
Without him, I feel alone. Not just in losing a friend, but in the advocacy we shared.
I also have a newfound fear that, by not posting more detailed pieces, I could fall into the category of the well-intentioned but not well-informed, and that my work would not be exactly what needs to be said for the victims, advocates, and whistleblowers of Scientology.
I am deeply aware of the responsibility that comes with speaking about this — a responsibility no one asked me to bear, but one I nonetheless feel I must, because although there is reporting on the subject, it does not paint the whole and accurate picture.
I want to get it right.
And those factors at times leave me frozen in inaction.
This work is grounded in my own lived experience and in a subject I am deeply versed in and consider myself an expert on, supported by vetted sources and documented material, all of which are included on my reference page.
At some point, those fears become their own barriers.
So, I am choosing to move past them.
I am posting this regardless of its length. Regardless of whether it says exactly the right thing for everyone. Regardless of how extensive it may be. And regardless of whether it is perfect.
Some of it may feel repetitive. Some of that is intentional. Some of it is because I am not a professional journalist. And some of it needs to be repeated, because there are people who have not understood this for decades.
Because this is what I know. I am leading with my heart and what I believe is right.
I know what I know from being a Scientologist my entire life. From being targeted by this organization. And from the very important work I had the privilege to do alongside Mike.
This is not written to satisfy everyone.
It is written for the people who need to understand it.
What is being described here matters.
What has happened within Scientology is not confined to the past. It is ongoing. And without meaningful government oversight, it will continue.
This piece is not written for attention. It is written so that the truth is not lost.
Love,
Leah
==================================================================================================
I urge anyone reading this not to rely on my account, but to review the documents now made public in the cases involving Gawain Baxter, Laura Baxter, Valeska Paris, and Valerie Haney, who was similarly compelled into the same Scientology “arbitration” process. The full docket is available on CourtListener.
Over three weeks in January, inside a Scientology-owned and controlled facility in Clearwater, Florida, Gawain and Laura Baxter and Valeska Paris were abused, shouted at, and browbeaten to exhaustion as parties to a so-called “religious arbitration” in the Church of Scientology.
Valerie Haney has been subjected to years of the same treatment, only to be told again and again that Scientology needs more time to continue what has already been described as abuse.
In the Baxter/Paris cases, they were forced to travel from their homes in Australia, where they had moved to start new lives after being trafficked and held as children in the Sea Org, Scientology’s paramilitary group.
Valeska was just 16 years old when she was sent to the Freewinds ship, where Scientologists go to complete the upper levels of Scientology. Her passport was taken, she was held prisoner for 11 years, and she was subjected to sexual abuse, physical abuse, forced manual labor, human trafficking, and more.
Valeska and the Baxters sued Scientology’s leader and its main corporations in 2022. A judge then ruled that because they had signed contracts in Scientology stipulating that disputes must be resolved through arbitration, they must submit to Scientology’s “kangaroo court” process.
These developments have also been consistently reported by journalist Tony Ortega.
At the center of these cases is Scientology’s misrepresentation of this process to the courts.
These attorneys present themselves as independent legal representatives while operating as agents of Scientology.
Whether or not an attorney is a Scientologist is irrelevant. When representing Scientology or its members, they are required to act in accordance with internal policy, which is treated as part of the organization’s legal structure rather than as an independent obligation to the court.
The Use of the Courts Based on a Procedure That Does Not Exist
Attorneys for David Miscavige, Church of Scientology International (CSI), Religious Technology Center (RTC), and related entities are mischaracterizing that process and using it to wear plaintiffs down before their claims are ever heard.
When I was a Scientologist, I was told and shown policies that stated it was against policy to bring disputes into civil court. At one point, I sought permission through Scientology to pursue legal action against a Scientology manager who was attempting to extort a significant amount of money from me.
Instead, I was directed through Scientology’s internal justice system — specifically, the International Justice Chief — and told the matter had to be handled within Scientology.
I was required to submit to what was described as Scientology “arbitration,” a process intended only for Scientologists and governed entirely by Scientology policy. It applies internal doctrine to resolve disputes between Scientologists and does not resemble any form of neutral arbitration recognized under civil law.
There is no neutral, non-Scientology arbitration within this system. That is understood by the organization, its lawyers, and those acting on its behalf. Despite that, it continues to be presented to courts as if it were neutral.
Independent experts who have examined the process have reached the same conclusion.
What Experts Inside the Scientology Process Are Saying
They are describing conditions that participants report as psychologically and physically distressing.
At one point, Dr. Chitra Raghavan, the psychologist brought into the process, said: “I felt nervous for my physical safety.”
An expert brought into what is being called an impartial and fair arbitration is saying she felt unsafe inside the process itself.
<snip>
Full Post:
leahremini.substack.com
“I Felt Nervous for My Physical Safety”: Inside Scientology’s So-Called Arbitration
Scientology is not asking courts to enforce arbitration. It is asking them to enforce a trap, one it controls, one it refuses to define, and one designed to make sure victims are never truly heard.
Leah ReminiApr 24, 2026
“I Felt Nervous for My Physical Safety”: Inside Scientology’s So-Called Arbitration
Scientology is not asking courts to enforce arbitration. It is asking them to enforce a trap, one it controls, one it refuses to define, and one designed to make sure victims are never truly heard.
leahremini.substack.com
This is a detailed account. It is meant to be read, not skimmed.
I have been working on this piece for days.
I have been told it is too long, that it will be lost, that people will not read it. I understand those concerns.
But since Mike Rinder’s passing, it has been very difficult for me to post anything at all.
For years, I would consult with Mike before publishing or posting anything related to Scientology. Not only for accuracy, but for the comfort of hearing my friend say, “This is good, Lee Lee.”
He was not just my closest friend. He was an expert on Scientology, someone who understood the system from the inside in a way very few people could.
Without him, I feel alone. Not just in losing a friend, but in the advocacy we shared.
I also have a newfound fear that, by not posting more detailed pieces, I could fall into the category of the well-intentioned but not well-informed, and that my work would not be exactly what needs to be said for the victims, advocates, and whistleblowers of Scientology.
I am deeply aware of the responsibility that comes with speaking about this — a responsibility no one asked me to bear, but one I nonetheless feel I must, because although there is reporting on the subject, it does not paint the whole and accurate picture.
I want to get it right.
And those factors at times leave me frozen in inaction.
This work is grounded in my own lived experience and in a subject I am deeply versed in and consider myself an expert on, supported by vetted sources and documented material, all of which are included on my reference page.
At some point, those fears become their own barriers.
So, I am choosing to move past them.
I am posting this regardless of its length. Regardless of whether it says exactly the right thing for everyone. Regardless of how extensive it may be. And regardless of whether it is perfect.
Some of it may feel repetitive. Some of that is intentional. Some of it is because I am not a professional journalist. And some of it needs to be repeated, because there are people who have not understood this for decades.
Because this is what I know. I am leading with my heart and what I believe is right.
I know what I know from being a Scientologist my entire life. From being targeted by this organization. And from the very important work I had the privilege to do alongside Mike.
This is not written to satisfy everyone.
It is written for the people who need to understand it.
What is being described here matters.
What has happened within Scientology is not confined to the past. It is ongoing. And without meaningful government oversight, it will continue.
This piece is not written for attention. It is written so that the truth is not lost.
Love,
Leah
==================================================================================================
Scientology’s Lies About “Arbitration”
For years, Mike Rinder and I, along with others before us, have been trying to explain what happens when former members of Scientology attempt to have their cases heard in court.I urge anyone reading this not to rely on my account, but to review the documents now made public in the cases involving Gawain Baxter, Laura Baxter, Valeska Paris, and Valerie Haney, who was similarly compelled into the same Scientology “arbitration” process. The full docket is available on CourtListener.
Over three weeks in January, inside a Scientology-owned and controlled facility in Clearwater, Florida, Gawain and Laura Baxter and Valeska Paris were abused, shouted at, and browbeaten to exhaustion as parties to a so-called “religious arbitration” in the Church of Scientology.
Valerie Haney has been subjected to years of the same treatment, only to be told again and again that Scientology needs more time to continue what has already been described as abuse.
In the Baxter/Paris cases, they were forced to travel from their homes in Australia, where they had moved to start new lives after being trafficked and held as children in the Sea Org, Scientology’s paramilitary group.
Valeska was just 16 years old when she was sent to the Freewinds ship, where Scientologists go to complete the upper levels of Scientology. Her passport was taken, she was held prisoner for 11 years, and she was subjected to sexual abuse, physical abuse, forced manual labor, human trafficking, and more.
Valeska and the Baxters sued Scientology’s leader and its main corporations in 2022. A judge then ruled that because they had signed contracts in Scientology stipulating that disputes must be resolved through arbitration, they must submit to Scientology’s “kangaroo court” process.
These developments have also been consistently reported by journalist Tony Ortega.
At the center of these cases is Scientology’s misrepresentation of this process to the courts.
These attorneys present themselves as independent legal representatives while operating as agents of Scientology.
Whether or not an attorney is a Scientologist is irrelevant. When representing Scientology or its members, they are required to act in accordance with internal policy, which is treated as part of the organization’s legal structure rather than as an independent obligation to the court.
The Use of the Courts Based on a Procedure That Does Not Exist
Attorneys for David Miscavige, Church of Scientology International (CSI), Religious Technology Center (RTC), and related entities are mischaracterizing that process and using it to wear plaintiffs down before their claims are ever heard.
When I was a Scientologist, I was told and shown policies that stated it was against policy to bring disputes into civil court. At one point, I sought permission through Scientology to pursue legal action against a Scientology manager who was attempting to extort a significant amount of money from me.
Instead, I was directed through Scientology’s internal justice system — specifically, the International Justice Chief — and told the matter had to be handled within Scientology.
I was required to submit to what was described as Scientology “arbitration,” a process intended only for Scientologists and governed entirely by Scientology policy. It applies internal doctrine to resolve disputes between Scientologists and does not resemble any form of neutral arbitration recognized under civil law.
There is no neutral, non-Scientology arbitration within this system. That is understood by the organization, its lawyers, and those acting on its behalf. Despite that, it continues to be presented to courts as if it were neutral.
Independent experts who have examined the process have reached the same conclusion.
What Experts Inside the Scientology Process Are Saying
They are describing conditions that participants report as psychologically and physically distressing.
At one point, Dr. Chitra Raghavan, the psychologist brought into the process, said: “I felt nervous for my physical safety.”
An expert brought into what is being called an impartial and fair arbitration is saying she felt unsafe inside the process itself.
<snip>
Full Post:
“I Felt Nervous for My Physical Safety”: Inside Scientology’s So-Called Arbitration
Scientology is not asking courts to enforce arbitration. It is asking them to enforce a trap, one it controls, one it refuses to define, and one designed to make sure victims are never truly heard.
leahremini.substack.com
