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Jun 14, 2000
A case so different from all the others — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Howard Troxler Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The distinction was important. To McCabe, the issue was never about the Church of Scientology as a religious institution. It was about whether a corporation of the church had illegally abused a member named Lisa McPherson, and whether it practiced medicine on her without a license, in the days leading to her death in 1995. The Church of Scientology now has two distinctions at the hands of Bernie McCabe. The first is that he chose to prosecute the church (I mean, ...
Jun 14, 2000
Scientology leader wanted a deal — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) CLEARWATER — Alarmed at the "massive impact" of two criminal charges, the Church of Scientology's worldwide leader quickly offered Pinellas County's top prosecutor a deal. Drop the charges, David Miscavige told State Attorney Bernie McCabe in November 1998, and the church would make a $500,000 donation to the county's EMS system. It also would pay the nearly $200,000 in expenses incurred in what then was a three-year investigation into Lisa McPherson's 1995 death while in the care of her fellow Scientologists. ...
Jun 13, 2000
Florida drops charges against Scientology in 1995 death — New York Times
Type: Press
Author(s):
Douglas Frantz Source:
New York Times Criminal charges against the Church of Scientology in the death of a church member who was under the organization's care were dropped yesterday because Florida prosecutors said they could no longer prove the accusations. Bernie McCabe, the state attorney for Pasco and Pinellas Counties, said in a document filed in state court in Clearwater that his office was dismissing the charges because the medical examiner had determined earlier this year that the death of the church member, Lisa McPherson, was accidental. ...
Jun 13, 2000
McPherson case expected to haunt medical examiner — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Craig Pittman Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The blow to her credibility could make it difficult for Joan Wood to do her job, lawyers say. Although prosecutors said her "serious forensic error" ruined their case against the Church of Scientology, Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Joan Wood said Monday she has no plans to resign. But veteran lawyers predicted the case – and particularly the 31-page memo from prosecutors that blasted Wood as "illogical" and "inconsistent" – will dog her every time she takes the witness stand. That could make ...
Jun 13, 2000
Scientology explained — News Chronicle (Australia)
Type: Press
Source:
News Chronicle (Australia) PEOPLE with questions about religions can find a new book in local libraries. The book, Theology and Practice of a Contemporary Religion: Scientology, has been donated to the Leederville, Floreat, Nedlands and Subiaco libraries to help answer people's questions about the fast-growing religion.
Jun 13, 2000
State drops charges against Scientology — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Blaming the medical examiner for damaging their case, prosecutors quietly end the inquiry into Lisa McPherson's death. CLEARWATER — State Attorney Bernie McCabe's weekend reading was a memo by his chief assistant urging him to drop the first criminal charges ever filed in the United States against the Church of Scientology. The 31-page document was filled with medical words that McCabe had never heard, but its essence was all too clear: The star prosecution witness, Medical Examiner Joan Wood, really didn't ...
Jun 13, 2000
The case of Lisa McPherson — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) [Lisa McPherson] now has been in the care of Scientologists at the Fort Harrison for 17 days. On the evening of Dec. 5, Scientologists caring for her worry she has become seriously ill. They decide to drive her to a hospital in New Port Richey - a 45-minute trip - so she can be seen by Dr. David I. Minkoff, a Scientologist who works in the emergency room there. At the hospital, McPherson is not breathing and has no heartbeat. She ...
May 31, 2000
Cult classic — Guardian Unlimited
Type: Press
Author(s):
Duncan Campbell Source:
Guardian Unlimited Does John Travolta's Battlefield Earth contain subliminal messages recruiting Scientologists? Amid a flurry of bizarre claims and counterclaims, only one thing is certain: it is one of the worst movies ever made. Duncan Campbell reports It is the year 3000 and "man-animals" are scrabbling for survival in the lonely expanse of what the mighty Psychlos describe as "this pitiful excuse for a planet". It is also the year 2000 and a mere seven man-animals are scrabbling for their popcorn in the ...
May 28, 2000
You're so vain... — The Observer (London, UK)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Mark Morris Source:
The Observer (London, UK) John Travolta's vanity project Battlefield Earth has taken 10 years to make and is set to be the turkey of the year. But, as Mark Morris explains, he's not the first star whose labour of love has resulted in risible self-indulgence
There's nothing like a real Hollywood flop. Not an average bad movie doing averagely badly, but a complete wreck of a film that makes you wonder what the hell anyone was thinking of when they decided to make it and ...
May 21, 2000
Letters: Battle rages — Sunday Times (Australia)
Type: Press
Source:
Sunday Times (Australia) RE Travolta's Battlefield (May 7) which reports on John Travolta's new film about Scientology. Now I've heard it all. Subliminal messages in our movie theatres - what next? LSD in the popcorn as part of some pre-conditioning experiment by the Psychlos? This so-called watchdog, FACTNet, wouldn't be the first small group that has come up with some "controversy" to launch themselves into the spotlight. The only connection between Battlefield Earth and Scientology is the author, L. Ron Hubbard. Mr Hubbard was ...
May 18, 2000
Lisa Presley Sells Mansion — Associated Press
Type: Press
Source:
Associated Press CLEARWATER, Fla. — Lisa Marie Presley has sold her waterfront mansion — just blocks from the Church of Scientology's spiritual headquarters — to fellow celebrity and Scientologist Kirstie Alley for $1.5 million. Presley, the daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, had been trying to sell the 5,200-square-foot home overlooking Clearwater Harbor for two years. She bought it for $1.2 million in 1996. Public records show the house was purchased May 1 by Alley's company, True Blue Productions, and that she will ...
May 17, 2000
Letters // I Disagree — The West Australian
Type: Press
Source:
The West Australian DEREK PEDLEY was right to point out that the makers of the SBS program on Scientology last week were not followers of the religion (Today, 9/5), but what was not pointed out was that they did not ask any Scientologist about any of the wild allegations they made against the church and individual Scientologists, nor did they back up any of their allegations with any proof. This disgusting program aired by SBS (which violated its own charter to be "sensitive and ...
May 17, 2000
Stay in touch: Critics go into battle — Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Type: Press
Source:
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) [...] If you run into a Scientologist today, don't do the usual thing of crossing the road/city/country to avoid them. Instead, look sympathetically on them, maybe even give them a hug of consolation, for we think there may be some mourning happening among the followers of L. Ron Hubbard. The first reviews are in for the multi-multi-million-dollar film based on one of L. Ron's off-the-planet science-fiction yarns (and no, we don't mean Dianetics), Battlefield Earth , and they don't make for pretty ...
May 15, 2000
Travolta's Religious Battlefield: Critics say movie bolsters Scientology — San Francisco Chronicle (California)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Don Lattin Source:
San Francisco Chronicle (California) John Travolta insists that Battlefield Earth, his $90 million screen homage to L. Ron Hubbard, has nothing to do with his longtime devotion to the Church of Scientology. Hubbard is both the founder of that controversial religious movement and the author of the 1982 science-fiction novel that forms the basis of Travolta's latest movie. Battlefield Earth is just a great story, Travolta says, and he finally has enough Hollywood leverage to push his pet project onto the big screen. Mark Bunker ...
May 12, 2000
Battlefield of dreams — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) L. Ron Hubbard said he didn't want his science-fiction work to be a press release for the church he founded. Nevertheless, the connections between Battlefield Earth and Scientology are worth noting. Put him in front of a typewriter and L. Ron Hubbard's fingers flew. He did not "piddle around" with his prose like other writers, as his friend and fellow science fiction author, Robert A. Heinlein, observed in a 1982 letter. Known in the 1930s and 1940s as a writer of ...
May 11, 2000
'Battlefield Earth': Film Dogged by Links to Scientology Founder — New York Times
Type: Press
Author(s):
Rick Lyman Source:
New York Times HOLLYWOOD, May 10 — The anticult networks are kicking up a fuss. Discussion on Internet movie sites is picking over the potentially sinister implications. Anonymous e-mails are whizzing around the country charging that, among other things, subliminal messages are being used to recruit unsuspecting moviegoers. Big summer action movies, filled with stars and special effects, don't often come with such fascinating accessories. Battlefield Earth, starring John Travolta as a nine-foot alien with talons for fingers, will open in more than 2,000 ...
May 9, 2000
Is Scientology above the law? — Illawarra Mercury (Australia)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Denise Everton Source:
Illawarra Mercury (Australia) John Travolta is a staunch supporter. So are many other Hollywood celebrities and it is from them that The Church of Scientology gets its best publicity. Yet while the promotion comes through association with high-profile names, there is rarely a lot actually discussed about the church. That is set to change with this French documentary (narrated in English and featuring subtitles) that examines the relationship between the Church of Scientology and the law in France, Germany and the United States. Incorporating ...
May 5, 2000
Television: Unmasking Scientology — Illawarra Mercury (Australia)
Type: Press
Source:
Illawarra Mercury (Australia) RELIGION in all its forms sparks intense debate but none more so in recent times perhaps than the Church of Scientology. A relatively young religion created by science fiction author Lafayette Ron Hubbard, Scientology's profile has risen sharply with the support of such high-profile acting identities as John Travolta and Juliette Lewis. Yet while most people would have an opinion on the church's ideology, there rarely seems to be much open debate about it in the social arena. That changes next ...
May 4, 2000
Letters: Founder misquoted — Illawarra Mercury (Australia)
Type: Press
Source:
Illawarra Mercury (Australia) I REFER to the Mercury (April 1) and the article "Friends friendly for top dollar" by John Michael Howson. Yet again the founder of Scientology, L Ron Hubbard, was misquoted: "If you want to become a millionaire, set up a religion." The actual author of this quote was George Orwell who wrote in a letter to his friend in 1938: "But I have always thought there might be a lot of cash in starting a new religion, and we'll talk it ...
May 3, 2000
Scientologists turning off-beat Dallas estate into off-the-beaten-path refuge for followers — Dallas Morning NewsMore: nl.newsbank.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Laura Griffin Source:
Dallas Morning News The buzz started when the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre moved into an old, quirky mansion at Buckner Boulevard and Dixie Lane, about a mile east of White Rock Lake. 'I have no idea what a 'Celebrity Centre' is, but I haven't seen anyone famous around here yet,' said Mark McCord, who lives nearby. The church's new home is in a landmark estate named 'Grandwick' by a former owner because it reminded him of a castle in Germany. The gaudy 10,000-square-foot ...
May 1, 2000
Combatants in Cult War Attempt Reconciliation / Peacemaking conference is held near Seattle — San Francisco Chronicle (California)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Don Lattin Source:
San Francisco Chronicle (California) (05-01) 04:00 PDT Seattle — They're calling it the "Camp David of the cult wars." Leaders from both factions in the decades-long dispute over danger posed by new religious movements came together over the weekend at a woodsy retreat center on the shores of Puget Sound. There were a few screaming matches, and a bit of the old backbiting and rumormongering, but it was a largely peaceful gathering of defectors, devotees, heartbroken families and assorted cult experts. "We've reached the point ...
Apr 27, 2000
Scientology boosts friends in high places — NOW MagazineMore: nowtoronto.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Enzo Di Matteo Source:
NOW Magazine Grit MP Derek Lee a Scientology symp? You might wonder if you happened to breeze the most recent issue of the Toronto Free Press. There, pictured with church prez Janet Laveau, is the former Grit GTA caucus chair along with a group of others listed as recipients of the Friends of the L. Ron Hubbard Humanitarian Award. Lee says he got the award for helping the church make its case with the CRTC for more "religious" programming on cable. Lee, it ...
Apr 20, 2000
Judge not hurrying church decision — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: link
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The judge ruling on Scientology's plea to remove its leader from a lawsuit says he'll carefully sift arguments. TAMPA – A judge said Wednesday he will take some time to decide whether Scientology leader David Miscavige should remain a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit against the Church of Scientology in Clearwater. Hillsborough Circuit Judge James S. Moody Jr. will consider a variety of legal issues, including whether Miscavige was properly served with the lawsuit at his Hollywood, Calif., office and ...
Apr 19, 2000
Church wants leader shielded — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Anita Kumar Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Scientology wants David Miscavige removed from a wrongful death lawsuit. CLEARWATER — Appealing to judges on both sides of Tampa Bay, the Church of Scientology on Tuesday continued its fight to keep its worldwide leader out of the legal fight over the 1995 death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson. The church goes to court this morning to ask a Hillsborough judge to remove David Miscavige as a defendant in the wrongful death lawsuit. In a separate action, the church filed a lawsuit ...
Apr 8, 2000
Judge rejects church argument — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The rulings say the Church of Scientology's actions in respect to Lisa McPherson are not protected by the Constitution. © St. Petersburg Times TAMPA – In a ruling that stunned the Church of Scientology and its lawyers, a Hillsborough County judge said Friday that religious rights are not a central issue in the 1995 death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson. Circuit Judge James S. Moody Jr. also said it is not clear whether McPherson consented to her treatment by Scientology staffers before ...
Apr 7, 2000
Scientology's defense impresses judge — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Promising a decision in a month, she questions the state's criminal charges against the church over a member's death. ST. PETERSBURG – After listening to legal arguments over two days, Pinellas-Pasco Chief Circuit Judge Susan F. Schaeffer said Thursday she will take a month to decide whether to dismiss the criminal case against the Church of Scientology. She also expressed support for key arguments raised by the church, which is defending itself against two charges in the 1995 death of Lisa ...
Apr 6, 2000
Scientology goes to court - Hearing weighs church claims — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Pinellas prosecutors are standing by their allegation that Lisa McPherson suffered severe dehydration before she died in the care of Church of Scientology staffers in Clearwater. The hearing in downtown St. Petersburg included a rare public appearance by Scientology's Los Angeles-based leader David Miscavige, who huddled with the church's lawyers at breaks and passed them notes during the proceedings. Behind him: an estimated 200 local Scientologists, many of whom have written affidavits saying the prosecution of Scientology has burdened the practice ...
Apr 4, 2000
Scientology to argue for dismissal of case — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) If the judge denies the church's request, the focus shifts to a five-week criminal trial scheduled in October. Seventeen months after it was criminally charged in the death of Lisa McPherson, the Church of Scientology will have its first big day in court on Wednesday and a chance, it hopes, for vindication. "The entire basis for the state's prosecution of this case has now collapsed," begins one of the many Scientology legal briefs arguing the case should be dismissed. The prosecution ...
Apr 3, 2000
Interplanetary film wars — Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Glenn Whipp Source:
Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) [...] What's left after these travesties and Mission to Mars? Two big-budget entries are slated for mid-year. The first, Battlefield Earth, finds Scientologist John Travolta starring in this adaptation of movement founder L. Ron Hubbard's evil alien novel. The script has drawn derision on Internet sites, and photos of Travolta in alien makeup have only made things worse. [...]
Apr 1, 2000
Judicial Reports — Security Management
Type: Press
Author(s):
Teresa Anderson Source:
Security Management [...] ELSEWHERE IN THE COURTS... [...] * Discrimination. Owners of a veterinary clinic in Texas have agreed to pay $150,000 to six employees who claimed they were unlawfully pressured to follow the tenets of the Church of Scientology. The employees charged that they were subjected to discrimination because of their refusal to join the church, act in accordance with its philosophy, or participate in religious activities at work. The case, which was brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, was settled ...
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