Lawrence A. Wollersheim
Encyclopedia
Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...
in 1980. The story of Xenu
Xenu
Xenu ,also spelled Xemu, was, according to the founder of Scientology L. Ron Hubbard, the dictator of the "Galactic Confederacy" who, 75 million years ago, brought billions of his people to Earth in a DC-8-like spacecraft, stacked them around volcanoes and killed them using hydrogen bombs...
was made public when Church materials detailing the Operating Thetan Level 3 were used as exhibits.
Legal actions
In 1986, a jury awarded Wollersheim $5 million in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages for what jurors called intentional and negligent "infliction of emotional distress." On appeal this was reduced to $2.5 million. Scientology officials vowed never to pay, and the phrase "not one thin dime for Wollersheim," was chanted by Scientologists at court hearings. The church challenged the $2.5 million award, but the case was dismissed and Wollersheim was awarded an additional $130,506.71 in attorney's fees.In their 1991 appeal, the Church of Scientology said that "Fair Game
Fair Game (Scientology)
The term Fair Game is used to describe policies and practices carried out by the Church of Scientology towards people and groups it perceives as its enemies. Founder L. Ron Hubbard established the policy in the 1960s, in response to criticism both from within and outside his organization...
" was a "core practice of Scientology", and protected as "religious expression". This was also stated by Scientology attorneys in the case against Gerald Armstrong
Church of Scientology v. Gerald Armstrong
Church of Scientology of California v. Gerald Armstrong, , was a lengthy series of lawsuits and other legal actions, primarily in the California state courts, arising from Gerald Armstrong's departure from the Church of Scientology...
, in 1984, by religious expert Frank K. Flinn.
After over 20 years, the Church agreed to settle the case and pay an $8.7 million settlement on May 9, 2002.
The settlement money was deposited with the court clerk, and was paid to Wollersheim's attorneys. According to Wollersheim, as of May, 2005, there was less than $2.3 million in the account and there was a claim by attorney Leta Schlosser for $2.7 million against the fund. Wollersheim says he had not received any of the funds from the case. On October 28, 2005 the Metropolitan News-Enterprise, a Los Angeles daily legal publication, reported that the Wollersheim case was ongoing and a trial was forthcoming regarding the Leta Schlosser claim. It said that Schlosser had received $100,000, but she was suing for more. On December 8, 2006, it reported that Wollersheim won the case on appeal, as Schlosser lacked an enforceable lien under the Rules of Professional Conduct.
FACTNet
In 1993, he co-founded Fight Against Coercive Tactics NetworkFight Against Coercive Tactics Network
Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, also known as FACTNet, co-founded by Robert Penny and Lawrence Wollersheim, is a Colorado-based organization committed to educating and facilitating communication about destructive mind control...
(FACTNet or F.A.C.T.Net) as an information resource on cults. FACTNet has had legal battles with Scientology.
Further reading
- "Substantial evidence supports the conclusion Scientology leaders made the deliberate decision to ruin Wollersheim economically and possible psychologically", California appellate court, 2nd district, 7th division, Wollersheim v. Church of Scientology of California, Civ. No. B023193 Cal. Super. (1986)
External links
- Church of Scientology pays $8.6M in legal dispute, USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, May 11, 2002 - After 22 years, church pays damages to ex-member, The Age, (AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
), May 11, 2002