The millionaire testifying on behalf of the church "is in all manner of trouble," a judge says. ST. PETERSBURG — New England millionaire Robert Minton came forward recently to say he wanted to set the record straight about lies he told in a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Church of Scientology. But his confessions and testimony may bring him a heap of new legal problems. Judge Susan Schaeffer said Wednesday that Minton could be in serious trouble with her, the State Attorney's ...

Monday was supposed to be Day One of the long-delayed wrongful death trial against the Church of Scientology. Instead, it was Day 22 of a hearing to throw out the lawsuit that blames the church for the 1995 death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson. The hearing, which began May 2 and now boasts nearly 300 exhibits, is not nearly over. Judge Susan Schaeffer has set aside most of this week and next for the proceeding. The church is accusing attorney Ken Dandar, ...

Months of interviews and thousands of pages of court papers show the effect that influential church members had on a Clearwater company that was a darling of the dot-com boom. It was New Year's Eve 1997 when Digital Lightwave's chief, Bryan Zwan, made his biggest deal: a $9-million contract for his signature product, a 10-pound device that tests telephone lines. At 5:30 p.m., Zwan phoned his production staff and gave them a tall order: Ship the 308 units right away. It ...

A 22-year legal battle came to an abrupt end last week when the Church of Scientology paid $8.67 million to one of its harshest critics: a former member who claimed the church had harassed him for years and driven him "to the brink of insanity." The settlement between the church's California organization and former Boulder resident Lawrence Wollersheim is notable not only for its size, but for its public nature. In the past, litigation involving the controversial "new religion"—founded by science-fiction ...

Nearly 22 years ago, Lawrence Wollersheim, a disaffected member of the Church of Scientology, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles accusing the church of mental abuse that pushed him to the brink of suicide. Teams of lawyers and various rulings came and went, all the way to the US Supreme Court. Judgments against the church hit $US30 million ($A55 million), then dropped to $US2.5 million. But the Church of Scientology never paid - until Thursday, when officials wrote a cheque for ...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Church of Scientology has agreed to pay a former member more than $8.6 million to resolve a lawsuit filed nearly 22 years ago. In his 1980 lawsuit, Lawrence Wollersheim accused the church of causing him to develop bipolar disorder and to contemplate suicide. A jury in 1986 awarded him $30 million, an amount reduced on appeal to $2.5 million and upheld by the Supreme Court in 1994. Church officials on Thursday handed over a check for ...

Nearly 22 years ago, Lawrence Wollersheim, a disaffected member of the Church of Scientology, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles accusing the church of mental abuse that pushed him to the brink of suicide. Teams of lawyers and various rulings came and went, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judgments against the church hit $30 million, then dropped to $2.5 million. But the Church of Scientology never paid — until Thursday, when officials wrote a check for more than ...

Nearly 22 years ago, Lawrence Wollersheim, a disaffected member of the Church of Scientology, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles accusing the church of mental abuse that pushed him to the brink of suicide. Teams of lawyers and various rulings came and went, all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Judgments against the church hit $30 million, then dropped to $2.5 million. But the Church of Scientology never paid — until yesterday, when officials wrote a check for more than ...

Regardless of legal misconduct claims, a judge says a wrongful death suit against the Church of Scientology is going to trial. ST. PETERSBURG — A wrongful death lawsuit against the Church of Scientology probably won't be dismissed because of recent allegations of legal misconduct, a judge indicated Thursday. A hearing resumes this morning on a motion to remove attorney Ken Dandar, who represents the estate of Lisa McPherson, a church member who died in 1995 while in the care of Scientologists ...

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR PINELLAS COUNTY, STATE OF FLORIDA GENERAL CIVIL DIVISION Case No. 00-5682-C1 Section 11 ESTATE OF LISA McPHERSON, by and through the Personal Representative, DELL LIEBREICH Plaintiff, vs. CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY FLAG SERVICE ORGANIZATION, INC.; JANIS JOHNSON; ALAIN KARTUZINSKI; and DAVID HOUGHTON, Defendants. —– APRIL 2002 AFFIDAVIT OF JESSE PRINCE STATE OF FLORIDA COUNTY OF HILLSBOROUGH BEFORE ME, the undersigned authority, personally appeared JESSE PRINCE, who after being duly sworn ...

Scientology tries to end a lawsuit by having the plaintiff's attorney in the case removed. CLEARWATER – The Church of Scientology is rolling out an aggressive set of legal maneuvers aimed at wiping out one of its biggest headaches: the lawsuit blaming the church for the 1995 death of Lisa McPherson. The church is zeroing in on Tampa attorney Ken Dandar, who in representing McPherson's family has mustered an unrelenting challenge costing the church millions and fueling unending bad publicity. Accusing ...

Benjamin "the binman" Pell, known for rifling through celebrities' rubbish, has won a court victory against a man who promised to make a film of his life. He will now get £77,500 back from businessman John Mappin, who told Mr Pell he could turn his story into a Hollywood blockbuster. Mr Pell said he had been "duped" into handing over the money to Mr Mappin, who claimed he would sign up a famous film director. But instead, he enlisted his best ...

Benjamin Pell — better known as Benji the Binman - yesterday launched a High Court damages action claiming he was misled into handing over money for a Hollywood blockbuster to be made out of his life. Mr Pell has brought an action for fraudulent misrepresentation against businessman John Mappin. He is seeking the repayment of pounds 77,500 and unspecified damages. Mr Pell's counsel, Marion Smith, told Mr Justice Gray that his primary case was that he was 'duped' into paying out ...

READ THE ARTICLE (Thanks to nytimes.com for access to their archives.): Scientology's Puzzling Journey From Tax Rebel to Tax Exempt New York Times March 9, 1997 By Douglas Frantz The Church of Scientology was founded in 1954 by a writer named L. Ron Hubbard. For years Scientology sought to persuade the Internal Revenue Service that it was a religion and deserved the same tax deduction given to traditional religious groups. Scientology took in hundreds of millions of dollars, and for decades ...