Nearly six months after actor Danny Masterson was convicted of sexually assaulting two fellow members of the Church of Scientology, lawyers for his victims filed a document that contained a stunning new allegation against the faith.

Submitted in a downtown Los Angeles court as part of a years-old civil lawsuit against Scientology, the document referenced a purported effort by the church to “derail” the criminal proceedings against Masterson.

“Defendants and their agents engaged in a campaign of harassment and intimidation directed at one of the prosecutors assigned to Defendant Masterson’s trial,” the declaration from civil attorney Simon Leen read. “That prosecutor’s home and car windows were broken, the prosecutor’s home electronics were tampered with, and Defendants’ agents surveilled the prosecutor.”

  • yesman@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    55
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    8 months ago

    Since Scientology has so much money, why does their headquarters look like a cheap Florida motel next to the interstate that just got a fresh paint job after the police had a shootout with a barricaded meth head?

    • Adderbox76@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      35
      ·
      8 months ago

      The more important question to me is why the hell the church of alien mumbo-jumbo has a cross on top of it…

      • hydroptic@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        24
        ·
        edit-2
        8 months ago

        Scientologists say it’s not actually a cross because it’s 8-pointed (there’s 8 “dynamics” in Dianetics. Long story, and it’s all bullshit anyhow.)

        Anybody can see it’s intentionally made to look like the christian cross. The real reason is probably that it’s a cross because Hubbard figured it’d make people easier to scam – a cross looks nice and “safe”. There’s also some pretty funny woo-woo about how Christianity is just an “implant” put in us by good old Xenu, and I think the cross shape supposedly somehow triggers our “thetans” (scientology’s equivalent to souls.) And yes I know weird amounts of details about scientology, I’ve always found it fascinating because it’s such a bonkers belief system

    • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      8 months ago

      IDK but it gets really creepy if you look at how much of Clearwater, FL they own. Their main building down there is right by city hall and the police dept, so it makes you wonder if they own those too.

      I also wonder if they go around fuckin’ with people in FL who they see as their enemies. Because it could be legal to shoot them if they were attacking you or threatening to do so.

    • Blankmann@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      8 months ago

      From that angle, sure. But on Wikipedia it shows how massive it is.
      Purposely not linking to the official “church” website, but it has a picture of it from the air, and lit up at night… It’s pretty impressive.

    • badbrainstorm @lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      8 months ago

      By your description I’m assuming you’re talking about the old hospital in LA by the 101? If so, that’s just where they house a bunch of the poor brainwashed minions.

      Their headquarters (Gold Base) is right beside Hubbards old mansion in San Jacinto on like 500 acres. Not so cheap looking

    • edric@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      8 months ago

      Because it’s being spent to derail the criminal proceedings through a campaign of harassment and intimidation duh.

    • S_204@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      8 months ago

      They oddly tried to hire me at one point in the past, couldn’t agree on money so I walked away but if you look at their real estate portfolio, especially their restoration of heritage buildings… it’s honestly very impressive. They have some beautiful buildings they’ve restored at enormous expense.

      They’re pretty creepy though, very controlling over their adherence to processes and way too slow to pay their bills.