1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ⇑ Latest ↑ Later Earlier ↓ Earliest ⇓ 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
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 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 ...
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 ...
Mar 29, 2000
Scientology's building heads upward — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The city's permit allows the church to shift from underground work to above ground, where the $45-million building will rise seven stories and a tower, 15 stories. CLEARWATER – After months of negotiations with the Church of Scientology, city officials issued a permit Tuesday that allows the church to continue construction of its massive new downtown building. The pair of towering white cranes that loom over the project, mostly idle since the fall, will come to life once more. For 16 ...
Mar 26, 2000
Records outline Scientology case — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) CLEARWATER – The records came in unrelenting batches. Medical studies, scientific research, sworn testimony and more – thousands of pages from the Church of Scientology that Medical Examiner Joan Wood considered over five months before changing her ruling in the 1995 death of Lisa McPherson. Wood refuses to say what finally tipped the scale, prompting her to rule last month that McPherson's death was an accident. But records from her office examined by the St. Petersburg Times show she reviewed a ...
Mar 9, 2000
Scientologists decry toll of criminal case — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) More than 200 church members ask a Circuit Court judge to dismiss the Lisa McPherson criminal case, saying it is an undue burden on them. CLEARWATER — A group of more than 200 Scientologists says the criminal prosecution against the Church of Scientology has hurt them personally, and they are asking a judge to dismiss the case. In affidavits filed Wednesday in Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Court, many church members said the criminal case stemming from the 1995 death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson ...
Mar 7, 2000
Doctors paid by church give defense — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: Hired pathologists take church's side
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) A former member of O.J. Simpson's "dream team" defense says Lisa McPherson's death was accidental. CLEARWATER — As prosecutors consider whether to proceed with criminal charges in the death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson, the Church of Scientology on Monday presented two nationally known pathologists who said they have scientific evidence that the 1995 death was accidental. Drs. Michael M. Baden and Cyril H. Wecht also suggested their work is so conclusive the case should be dropped. Their primary conclusion: McPherson, 36, ...
Mar 3, 2000
A cry for justice — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: news.google.com , pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) A Times Editorial: Despite a reversal in the autopsy report of Lisa McPherson, the state attorney still has an obligation to prosecute those his office believes to be responsible in her death in a Scientology hotel room. The tragedy of Lisa McPherson's death in a Scientology hotel room has turned into a sad, convoluted mess that cries out for justice. An unexplained reversal by Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Joan Wood has prosecutors reviewing their case and raises questions about Wood's competence. Meanwhile, ...
Mar 3, 2000
Church wants judge removed in McPherson case — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Questioning his impartiality, Scientology asks Judge Brandt C. Downey III to remove himself. LARGO – The Church of Scientology says it fears Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Brandt C. Downey III cannot be impartial and is asking that he remove himself from presiding in the Lisa McPherson case. In a motion filed late Thursday, Scientology asserts that several of Downey's former law partners were active in anti-Scientology efforts in the late 1970s and early 1980s, after the church's controversial arrival in Clearwater. The ...
Feb 23, 2000
Church member's death now called accident — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Feb 6, 2000
How much oddity can one town take? — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Jan 6, 2000
Scientology foe sets up office close to church — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Dec 15, 1999
Scientology leader named defendant in suit — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Dec 8, 1999
When can a church be accused of a crime? — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Howard Troxler Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) There is a story about lawyers that involves a flower pot falling off a high ledge. A passer-by sues, claiming he was injured.
The defense lawyer answers:
First, it wasn't our pot.
Second, if it was, it didn't fall.
Third, if it fell, it didn't hit you.
Fourth, if it hit you, you weren't hurt.
This "flower pot strategy" is being employed by both sides in the current criminal case against a corporation of the Church of Scientology. Both sides' arguments ...
Dec 7, 1999
Belief called irrelevant in death — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The Church of Scientology in Clearwater cannot rely on religious grounds to escape prosecution in the death of one of its members, Pinellas-Pasco prosecutors argued in a strongly worded document filed Monday.
The document referred to the church's Clearwater entity as "a multifaceted non-profit corporation" that "engages in extensive revenue sharing activity" and generates "tremendous cash flow."
The wording aims to undercut an argument by church lawyers that Scientology staffers were giving "spiritual assistance" to parishioner Lisa McPherson when she died ...
Dec 2, 1999
Scientology hires top Clearwater law firm — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The church selects Johnson Blakely to represent it on a number of local issues. CLEARWATER – The Church of Scientology has hired Clearwater's most prominent and well-connected law firm to represent it on a wide range of issues, yet another indicator of Scientology's increasing acceptance into Clearwater's civic circles. Church officials reached an agreement for legal services on Tuesday with the firm of Johnson Blakely Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns. The account will be handled by Ed Armstrong, a partner in ...
Nov 24, 1999
Scientology prompts review of death case — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Nov 16, 1999
Foe of Scientology plans move to area — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Robert Minton intends to buy property in downtown Clearwater. Meanwhile, a restraining order against him is extended to Nov. 29. The Church of Scientology came to court Monday hoping its No. 1 enemy, Robert S. Minton, would never again be allowed near church properties in Clearwater. Instead, church officials learned that Minton, a 53-year-old New England millionaire, plans to be much too close for their comfort. Clearwater lawyer Denis de Vlaming told Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Thomas E. Penick Jr. that Minton ...
Nov 6, 1999
Police no longer monitoring Scientology — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Aug 20, 1999
Scientology expansion raises parking question — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) One Clearwater official says the church need not provide parking until its building is nearly complete, but others disagree. CLEARWATER — The foundation has been poured and two towering white cranes reach into the downtown sky. Construction is well under way on a 370,000-square-foot Church of Scientology building that will take two years to build. When it opens, Scientology expects to have doubled its uniformed staff to 2,000. It also projects that the number of Scientology parishioners visiting Clearwater will increase ...
Aug 7, 1999
Scientology project gets foundation — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) Workers today will pour the base for the Ministerial Training and Counseling Center, which is expected to be the largest building in downtown Clearwater. CLEARWATER — A massive foundation will be constructed beginning early this morning for what is expected to be the largest building downtown. The Church of Scientology and its contractor, Beers Construction Co. of Tampa, have coordinated an 18-hour task that will involve more than 500 construction workers, 130 mixing trucks, 1,200 truckloads of high-strength concrete from six ...
May 12, 1999
Scientology files motions to drop charges — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Thomas C. Tobin Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) The Church of Scientology in Clearwater says it is immune from criminal prosecution in the death of Lisa McPherson and wants the felony charges against it dismissed. In lengthy motions filed this week, Scientology's lawyers argue that the charges filed against the church last November "are both unnecessary and impermissible." Church staffers gave "spiritual assistance" to McPherson, a fellow Scientologist, in the days before she died, thus their actions were protected under the First Amendment and the state's new Religious Freedom ...
May 8, 1999
Clearwater opts for discreet honors for library donors — St. Petersburg Times (Florida)More: pqasb.pqarchiver.com
Type: Press
Author(s):
Anita Kumar Source:
St. Petersburg Times (Florida) [This article appears to be a
reprint of an article published the day before] The city, concerned about Scientology, is choosing a low-key recognition of major contributors. City commissioners decided Thursday that they would rather collect less money for the new main library than allow controversial groups that make large donations to be recognized prominently. The Church of Scientology was not mentioned at the televised meeting, but commissioners have said they are uncomfortable with the church being named in a ...
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