------------------------------------------------------------------- F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, Incorporated) a non-profit computer bulletin board and electronic library 601 16th St. #C-217 Golden, Colorado 80401 USA BBS 303 530-1942 FAX 303 530-2950 Office 303 473-0111 This document is part of an electronic lending library and preservational electronic archive. F.A.C.T.Net does not sell documents, it only lends them according to the terms of your library cardholder agreement with F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: February 9, 1994 For Immediate Release Contact: Cynthia Kisser 312-267-7777 Non-profit sues controversial Church of Scientology for millions - claims Scientology backed dozens of lawsuits to bankrupt it- The Cult Awareness Network (CAN) has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the Church of Scientology International, its law firm, its Illinois branch and eleven members of the Church of Scientology. The lawsuit charges that the defendants have brought dozens of unfounded lawsuits against CAN throughout the country in an attempt to use the courts to destroy the national non-profit. The suits have disrupted CAN's regular activities by making it necessary for CAN to devote a large portion of time and money to defending the lawsuits rather than carrying out its educational programs. The purpose of the suits, CAN maintains, is ultimately to cause CAN to go into bankruptcy. Scientology is often characterized as a destructive cult by former members, and CAN offers critical books, articles and other material about Scientology to the public. CAN's case was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. The defendants named in the suit are the Church of Scientology International, its law firm of Bowles and Moxon, the Church of Scientology of Illinois, and individual Scientologists Andrew Bagley, Glenn Barton, Gregory Bashaw, Charles Benedetti, Valon Mitchell Cross, Samuel Demeter, Joe Lewis, Marion Melberg, Larry Miller, David Schram, and Lynn Ward. The suit also charges that the defendants have violated CAN's right to freedom of association as guaranteed under the Illinois Constitution. CAN cites in support of its legal complaint the more than 45 cases and dozens of human rights complaints that have been brought since 1991 against it, and/or its affiliates and individual members by Scientologists. All the individual Scientologists being sued have at one time or another sued CAN and/or its Illinois affiliate in either state or federal court in Illinois. None of these dozens of Scientologists'' lawsuits and complaints have succeeded. Some are still active. Over 30 cases have been concluded. CAN and/or its affiliates and individual CAN members have prevailed in all these cases - with either the cases being voluntarily withdrawn by the Scientologists who brought them or a court order being issued in favor of the CAN defendants and against the Scientology plaintiffs. CAN's lawsuit specifically charges that the Church of Scientology International "has officiously intermeddled in all of the lawsuits and complaints" brought by Scientologists against CAN, and that the Church of Scientology International "by its own means and through defendant Bowles and Moxon, has provided plaintiffs in the aforesaid lawsuits and complaints with draft and final pleadings that have been filed in court and with the human rights commissions, and with other legal assistance." The suit further maintains that the Church of Scientology International and Bowles and Moxon provided financial assistance in the prosecution of the suits and complaints against CAN. According to CAN's executive Cynthia Kisser, who has been named personally in 20 of the lawsuits, the boldness with which Scientology has tried to use the courts as a weapon is astonishing. "We won one lawsuit in Illinois," said Kisser, "where three Scientologists actually tried to use the courts to force us to let these Scientologists do volunteer work at our national office. During many months we get more complaints about Scientology than about any other group. An individual seeking support because he feels victimized by Scientology would not call us for help if we were forced to have Scientologists working in the office. Our donors would likely quit contributing to us if that were the case. If we had not had the money to defend ourselves properly in that case we could have received a default judgment against us even though the judgment would have been a violation of our constitutional rights. Another lawsuit we won was equally absurd in terms of its stated purpose," maintains Kisser. "Several Scientologists sued us unsuccessfully in California, claiming their rights were being violated, to try and get the state to turn control of our non-profit over to them, invalidate the election of our board of directors, and give them voting rights in our organization." CAN is relying on significant legal decisions already issued in its favor in bringing its cases, including a California Supreme Court decision that CAN is a private organization and has the right to freedom of association under the California and U.S. Constitution. To support its contention that the Scientology defendants are working together, CAN points to repeated litigation brought against it by Scientologists throughout the country, sometimes for exactly the same causes of action, using the same law firm, Bowles and Moxon, sometimes with language which is identical within the individual complaints. CAN is being represented by Chicago attorneys John M. Beal and George N. Vurdelja, Jr. CAN is a national educational organization with 19 affiliates nationwide which became a non-profit in 1978, the year the Jonestown tragedy occurred. It receives and responds to more than 18,000 inquiries annually concerning destructive cults. Its supporters include mental health professionals, educators, clergy, law enforcement, ex-cult members and families victimized by cults. CAN's immediate past president, Patricia Ryan, the daughter of late Congressman Leo J. Ryan who was assassinated at Jonestown on orders from cult leader Jim Jones, received the 1993 Warren G. Williams Award from the American Psychiatric Association for her support of the rights of cult victims and her leadership in CAN, bringing national recognition to CAN's work. Ryan, in addressing the abuse CAN has been subjected to in the courts, stressed, "The American courts were never meant to be used as a weapon available to those with money to destroy with frivolous legal actions anyone perceived as their enemy. Scientology has a long history of using the courts this way, and it has to stop if justice means anything in our courts today." Cult Awareness Network, 2421 W. Pratt Boulevard, #1173, Chicago, Ill. 60645 ================================================================= If this is a copyrighted work, you are acknowledging by receipt of this document from FACTNet that on the basis of reasonable investigation, you have not been to obtain a copy elsewhere at a fair price, and that you are and will abide by the following copyright warning. WARNING CONCERNING COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS: The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photo copies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. 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