Category Archives: Scientology

Chelmsford defamation case ends in settlement and apology for claims in Scientology book

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HarperCollins ‘sincerely apologises’ to doctor for claims about Sydney hospital in ABC journalist Steve Cannane’s book

A long-running defamation case sparked by the ABC journalist Steve Cannane’s 2016 book on Scientology has ended with a confidential settlement and an apology.

Fair Game: The Incredible Untold Story of Scientology in Australia included a range of claims about the use of a controversial psychiatric treatment – deep sleep therapy – at Sydney’s Chelmsford private hospital in the 1960s and 70s.

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HarperCollins refused appeal in defamation case over claims made in Scientology book

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High court decision relates to previous judgment on allegations of controversial psychiatric treatments at Sydney’s Chelmsford private hospital

HarperCollins has failed in a bid to have Australia’s highest court rule on legal issues in a defamation case over controversial psychiatric treatments at Sydney’s Chelmsford private hospital.

The high court on Friday refused special leave to appeal two aspects of a federal court decision overturning an earlier judgment. That earlier judgment found claims in Steve Cannane’s book Fair Game: The Incredible Untold Story of Scientology in Australia were substantially true.

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Judge declares mistrial in actor Danny Masterson’s rape trial

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The jury said they could not come to a consensus over the allegations after a month-long trial

A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday after jurors said they were hopelessly deadlocked at the trial of That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson, who is charged with three rapes.

Los Angeles judge Charlaine F Olmedo had ordered the jurors to take Thanksgiving week off and keep deliberating after they told her on 18 November that they could not come to a consensus about the rape allegations after a month-long trial in which the Church of Scientology played a supporting role.

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Danny Masterson’s rape trial opens with tearful accuser testimony

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That ’70s Show star faces three counts of sexual assault in case that also shines spotlight on Church of Scientology

The trial of actor Danny Masterson began this week with emotional testimony from one of the women who has accused the TV star of rape – marking the latest of several high profile cases now under way in Hollywood, and one in which the Church of Scientology has come under scrutiny.

Inside a Los Angeles courtroom, just down the hall from the trial of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, the first of Masterson’s accusers took the stand on Tuesday and Wednesday. She tearfully recounted a 2003 incident when she says that the actor, best known for his role in That ’70s Show, raped her.

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‘I document America’s strange beauty’: the photography of My Name Is Earl’s Jason Lee

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He played a redemption-seeking redneck on TV, but lately the actor has found solace off-screen, travelling with his camera. He talks about slackers, the Mallrats sequel and breezing into one-horse towns

Jason Lee knew he was in trouble when he stepped on the set. The year was 1992, Sonic Youth were at their peak and he was starring as a doomed skateboarder in their latest video. As a music obsessed, pro skateboarder with acting aspirations, he felt he had a point to prove. To add more pressure, it was for the song 100% – the band’s classic ode to a murdered Black Flag roadie – and the video was being co-directed by one of his skateboarding friends (some guy called Spike Jonze).

“I was really trying my hardest to focus,” says Lee. “I was like pretending to be Robert De Niro on the set, really trying to get into it and make it count and make it real and believable.”

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Amazon to donate to drug charity linked to Scientology

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Exclusive: experts have queried methods of Narconon, which has given talks in UK schools

Amazon has agreed to channel funds to a controversial drug rehabilitation charity linked to the Church of Scientology, the Guardian has learned.

The web giant will make donations to Narconon – which runs programmes for drug addicts based on the teachings of the Scientology founder, L Ron Hubbard – when supporters buy products through the site, with shoppers able to pledge 0.5% of purchases to selected charities under Amazon’s “Smile” feature.

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Scientology ship remains under measles quarantine in Caribbean scare

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Twenty-eight people required to stay on Freewinds after female crew member came down with virus

Authorities in the Caribbean island of Curacao have announced that 17 crew members and 11 passengers must stay on board a ship owned by the Church of Scientology that is under quarantine following a confirmed case of measles.

Dr Izzy Gerstenbluth said the group was required to stay on the 440-feet Freewinds ship until 13 May because they were still at risk of contracting measles after a female crew member came down with the virus.

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Scientology cruise ship leaves St Lucia after measles quarantine

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Church of Scientology vessel held in port after contagious disease detected onboard

A cruise ship quarantined for a reported case of measles has left the Caribbean island of St Lucia after health officials supplied 100 doses of vaccine to the ship, according to reports.

The Church of Scientology cruise ship was confined to port this week by island health officials after the highly contagious disease was detected onboard.

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Police identify dead shoplifter with heart condition

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'He's morally unfit to be President': Comey annihilates Trump in TV interview by saying he 'lies constantly', 'treats women like pieces of meat' and IS 'possibly compromised by Russia' EXCLUSIVE: 'It's no secret that they despise each other!' Ex-security guard for Church of Scientology reveals bitter rivalry between Tom Cruise and John Travolta and how he was given 'the beating of his life' for speaking to celebs Multi-millionaire Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reveals his simple 'formula for happiness' that he devised aged 20 and claims he was driven more by laughing than by money Trump goes on Twitter tirade against 'Slippery James Comey' calling him the 'WORST FBI Director in history' two days before ex-FBI boss' book is released Former first lady Barbara Bush, 92, is seriously ill with lung disease and heart failure and has decided to leave hospital to be at home as she refuses more ... (more)

Trump DoJ nominee Jon Adler loves Scientology’s bogus, occasionally lethal “detox” program

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Jon Adler is Trump's nominee for the Department of Justice's director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the former criminal investigator is also president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and is proud to serve on the advisory board of Heroes Health Fund, which is the latest incarnation of Narcanon, the Church of Scientology's baseless "detox" program that involves taking huge doses of niacin and sitting for hours in a sauna, a practice with no health benefits that has killed some of its practitioners. Adler has been an advocate of the method, which L Ron Hubbard simply pulled out of his ass, since at least 2010.

The march of the vegans! Restaurants and beloved brands tweak menus …

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Gunman kills at least five and wounds nine at Florida airport: Man in a Star Wars shirt executes victims with shots to the head in baggage claim then surrenders - but ANOTHER suspect is loose EXCLUSIVE: Chicago torture victim, 18, is asking why 'friend he idolized' was one of black gang who beat, burned and tortured him chanting 'f*** Trump, f*** white people' Scientology lawyer goes on national TV to slam Leah Remini for show that led to death threats against their leader David Miscavige More Hillary Clinton emails surface - and show how anti-gay Sharia law ruler The Sultan of Brunei treated Bill 'like part of his family' Russian election-year cyber attacks fall-out is a 'witch hunt' orchestrated by Democrats, says Trump as he asks Congress to investigate leak of top-secret hacking intelligence report EXCLUSIVE: Angelina Jolie accuses Brad Pitt of 'publicly impugning' her character in ... (more)

What’s the point of having a majority if GOP doesn’t use it?

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Earlier this month, during an aside in his speech at the Values Voters Summit, Rep. Louie Gohmert shared an insight into the timid appeasers comprising GOP congressional leadership. When he first entered the House in 2006 the talk was of the big things the Republican majority was going to accomplish.