------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ===================================================================== Da%e: Februa~ 9, 1994 For Iramedium Reieaso Coatact: Cynthli 5. Kis~r 3 12-267-7'777 Non-profit sues Controversial Church of Sclentology for millions -claims Sclentol0gy' backed dozens of lawsuits to bankrupt !t- The Cult Awareness ~ctwOrk (CA~ has filed a multl-n~llton do!lax lawsuit against the Chun:h of ScientoZoZy International, its law fa'm. tea rotnots branch and eleven members of the Church of 8clentology. The lawsuit otxarges that the defendants have brought dozens of unfounded lawsuits a~nst CA~r throughout the country in an attempt to use the eo~x~ to destroy the national non-l~rofit. The Suits have disrupted CAN'$ l~gular activities b}' making It nee›Ssary tot CAi'i m devom s ~ge p0nton of time and mo~y m d~f~n~!ng ~_~ _la.w_suits ntthor than ~x~7to~ out its ecrucatlonel programs. The p~rl~s~ of th~ suits, CAN m~tn~ns. is ultimately to cause CAN to go into ba~llcruptcy. ScfentoloSy is often ›haxactedzed as a dc~tructlve,cul~ by former mcmbea, and CAN offers cdtlcat bookS. ex~cles and other materlal about $cientology to the l~ubltc. CAN't case was t~led In the Circuit COurt ot C~k Count, Illinois. The defendants named fn the sub are the Church of S›[entolOlly !ntetnati0nal, its law firm of Bowlea and Moxon, the Cl~ur~h of $dentolo~y of IllinOIs, tad indtvidtlsl $›ientolotiists Andraw Balllcy, Oilann t~xton, G~gor/ Bashaw, Cllarl~$ Belledged, Valotl Mitchell Cross~ $ara:Jel Derneter~ Io= Lewis, Marion Melberg, Lan7 Miller, David 8el'rim, and Lynn Waxd. The suit also charges that the defendants have violated CAN'S right to fr~do~ 0f a.~soctation as guax~tced under the Illinois Constitution. CAN' cites in supped of its leb:,'sl complaint the mOr~ [hart 45 legal Cases and dozens of human rights complaints tlxat h~ve ban b~ught sirtee i991 agaln~t it, and/or its affillat~s ~d individual members by Sclentologists, All the individual Sclentolol~ists being sued have at one time or another emcd CAt,T ~d/gr lt~ Illlnoi~ stilltale In either state ot federal court in Illinois. 1,,rune of these dozens of $eiento!o~:ists' lawsul~ and con~jplalnts have succeeded. ~Ome ~ce stilt active. Over 30 cases have i~eea cuticleS, CAN and/of its affiltatel and individual CAN members have p~rvalkd ~ all the,~ cases. with e~ther the cases being voluntaxily withdrawn by the $clentolO~i~ts who brought them or a couxt order being issued in favor of the CAN defendants and agains~ the $ci~ntologlt plaintIRa. CAN'al law~ul~ bI~;l~y charges that the Ctturch of Scientology International *has officiously int~rmeddl~ in all o~r the lawsuits and coinplaints" b~cought blt 80ientologi~ts a. galnst CAN, and that -2- ú e Church oi' SclentoloSy Xnternatlonal, '*by itS own means and through defendant l~'~wles & Moxon. has provided l>lalntlfFs In the afofesaid lawsuits and complaints with draft Md final planclings that have bl~n filed in court and with the human rightS commiSSions, nnd with other legal assistance." The SUit further maintains that the Church ot.Sclentology International ~d Bowlas & Moxon provided financial l~sstStanCe in the prosecution ot the suits and complaints against CAN. ACCording to CAN't ›x~uttve allrector Cynthia Kisser, who has bcejt listed personally in 20 or the lawsuits, the boldness with which $c!l~ntology has tried to use the cou~ as a w~pon is astonishing. "We w0~ one lawsuit in Illinois," said Kisser, "where three Sclentologlsts actually tried to use the coum to forc~ t~s to let these fl(~ientotogists do volunteer work at our national of'flee. DudnS many rn0nths we get more complatnts ~l:.out Sclentology than about any other group. An individual Se~ldn~ support because he t'~ls ~,tctirntze,,d by Sotantology would riot call t~s for help it we were fox'c~ to hav~ $clentolol;lsts worldnl~. in the office. Our donors would lilly quit contrlbutlnii to us i~' that were the ~se. If wt~ had not had the money to defend outlives prolc~rly tn that ca.~ w!~ could have r~elvecl a default Jt~dl~mcnt atlalnst ~s ~ven thoul~h the ,ft~dllement would have been a violation of our constitutional rillhis. "Another lawsuit we won was equally absurd in terms o~ its sated purl~Ose~" maintained KIsser. "Several SctcntoloiistS sued us unsucc›Ssfi. tlll~ in California. claiming their riShts were l~inS violated. to try and E~t the state to turn ~ntrol otr our non-profit ovi~r to them, invalidato the election of our board of dix~ctors. and give them votlnl~ rilehis in our organizati0~," CAN iS relyin~ on significant local d›clSions alrefldy issued In its t'av0t' in brln~inl~ its cases. inGl~(linl] It calirornl~~l~011Xonti pri,~~t~_she_ th_e to free..410m Of e. SSOciatton under ~e California and U.S, Constitution. To support its contention that the $clentology defenders are working togethet~ CAN points to relx:at~l litigation brought against it by $ctcntologlstS thwughout the countat, Sometimes for ›xaozly the sam~ causes or action, using the samo law fi~m~ '~qwlcs & Moxon~ sometimes with language which iS identical within the individual complaints. CAN is bcln~ t~prcsent~ by Chlcal~o attorneys John M, B~I and fa~orBt~ N. Vur~lelja. ~r. CAN is i national ~l~ttp~al OrganizatiOn with 19 affiliates nationwide which became a non- profit in 1978~ the l/eat the Jonestown~cu~ced. It t~ce~ves and responds Io more than 18.000 ln~lulrlcs annually concerning d›structlve cults. Its supporters include mental h~alth prorGssbnaiS~ educatO~, c1~rgy~ law ›nforcement~ ›x-Cuit m~mbe~ anll ~milies victirnizc›l l~y cults, CAN't lmm~tar~ past Fesldent~ Pattitin R~an, the dauBhtf~r of the late Conlressrnan Leo jr. Ryan who was assassinated at/onestown on orders fr0rn cult l~der 3im 3ones, received the 1993 Warren O. Wffitams Award from the American l~sychlair~c Asse~lation for her support ot the rights of cult vlcttrns and her le~ershlp l~ CAN, bringing national r~ognltion to CAN't wol~k. it~an, in ~ddresstng ~e alluse CAN hits b~n subjected to in the ~otsll~ stress!, "The Amrican Courts wore 8cvr. r m~,~.nt to t~ used as a w~apon available to thos~ with rnon~l~ to ~l›stroy with frivolous l~gal actions anyono ~srcelved as thoir ›,~mly. Scicntology has a lonll hlsto~ of using the courts this way, and it ha9 to stol~ if justice means an},thi,gi in our courts today.' 40- Cult Awareness Network~ 2411 W. Pratt lBoulevards//11'/3~ Ch[cp~o~ !it. C0~45 ================================================================= 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. Under certain conditions specified by law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. 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