Elusive Scientology leader David Miscavige deemed 'served' in labor trafficking case, has 21 days to respond
TAMPA, FLORIDA: A judge has reportedly decided that David Miscavige, the notoriously evasive leader of Scientology, can be considered served in a labor trafficking lawsuit after months of unsuccessful attempts to do so. Now that the complaint has been filed, Miscavige, who detests going to court, has 21 days to respond.
Julie S Sneed, a federal magistrate judge in Tampa, ruled that Miscavige, 62, had been "actively concealing his whereabouts or evading service," per the New York Post. Sneed also stated, "A defendant who beclouds his whereabouts should not be entitled to benefit from the process server's resulting misunderstanding." However, there is a problem since it appears that over time, Scientology officials avoided going to court by asserting that contracts signed by Sea Org members meant they were obligated to take their concerns to an internal religious arbitration panel.
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Who brought lawsuit against Scientology?
It was three former Sea Org members suing the church, claiming they were coerced into joining as children and were required to work for little to no pay as adults. Valeska Paris, who left Sea Org more than 10 years ago, and married couple Gawain and Laura Baxter filed the lawsuit in 2022.
In court records, Scientology executives alleged Paris and the Baxters both signed agreements barring them from suing and requiring them to instead submit their disputes to the church's arbitration process, a legal protection they have previously used. Scientology included contract papers with its legal filings.
The plaintiffs' attorneys stated that officials made 27 attempts to meet and serve Miscavige over the course of four months, both in Clearwater, where Scientology's headquarters are located, and in Los Angeles, where the organisation has a sizable presence, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Security staffers had repeatedly rejected the application, claiming they were unsure of his whereabouts.
Will David Miscavige abide with his subpoena?
Former high-ranking Scientologists have previously claimed that Miscavige, who took over after the death of Scientology founder L Ron Hubbard in 1986, is terribly scared of going to court and would do anything to avoid the lawyers, who had been attempting to serve documents, per the New York Post.
Tony Ortega, a seasoned Scientology monitor, stated in 2019 that Miscavige may have "gone to ground" in order to escape being served in a number of ongoing court matters, including the Danny Masterson rape mistrial. Ex-Scientologist Jeffrey Augustine, who heads the Scientology Money Project, stated that Miscavige's apparent avoidance of serving runs against the church's core principles.
Augustine reportedly stated, "Scientology is supposed to make you be able to confront or experience anything in life. It's the church's core belief. The fact that Miscavige is not able to confront or experience being served a subpoena therefore falsifies the entire premise of Scientology."
On Wednesday, February 15, a Scientology spokesperson stated, "The judge's findings are erroneous. We understand the order will be appealed. The case is nothing but blatant harassment and was brought and is being litigated for the purpose of harassment—hoping that harassment will extort a pay day. The allegations in the complaint are absurd, ridiculous, scurrilous and blatantly false. The lawsuit is a sham and a scam."