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A choose within the Los Angeles County Superior Court docket on Tuesday dismissed parts of Leah Remini‘s civil defamation and harassment lawsuit towards the Church of Scientology, to which the actor previously belonged.
In a prolonged, combined ruling, Decide Randolph Hammock struck down vital parts of the lawsuit on the grounds of American First Modification rights.
Within the virtually 40-page ruling, which was shared by Deadline, the choose threw out sure defamation claims underneath California’s anti-SLAPP statute, which protects free speech to do with issues of public curiosity.
Hammock’s ruling, nonetheless, nonetheless allowed for Remini’s allegations of stalking, harassment and surveillance by the church to proceed.
In an announcement to International Information, the Church of Scientology referred to as the choose’s determination to strike sure parts of the lawsuit a “victory in courtroom towards Leah Remini.”
“This can be a resounding victory for the Church and free speech — Remini’s criticism was gutted,” the group wrote.
The church mentioned it will likely be pursuing lawyer’s charges from Remini, which they’re entitled to use for underneath the anti-SLAPP statute. Remini may also apply for lawyer’s charges, ought to she select to.
Remini has not commented publicly on the combined ruling.
Leah Remini’s Scientology lawsuit
Remini filed a lawsuit towards the church and its chief, David Miscavige, in August 2023. She accused Scientology of utilizing “mob-style operations and assaults” to harass her since she defected from the religion in 2013.
The lawsuit is in search of unspecified damages for the hurt she claims Scientology inflicted on her and her profession.
When Remini initially filed her lawsuit, the church referred to as the allegations “pure lunacy” and accused Remini of “spreading falsehoods and hate speech.”
What was faraway from Leah Remini’s lawsuit?
Remini’s lawsuit claims she is the sufferer of Scientology’s “Honest Sport” ways, which makes her an open goal for harassment, each on-line and in-person.
Previously, the church has created an internet site disparaging Remini in over 10 completely different articles that decision her all the things from a “bigot” to “racist” and “pro-rape.”
The choose referred to as these situations, in addition to others, “parody,” specifically when Scientology circulated doctored photographs of Remini sporting an “I (coronary heart) rapists” T-shirt after she testified within the 2022 rape trial of director Paul Haggis.
Hammock mentioned the web posts, “whereas extremely offensive and inappropriate, can solely be deemed parody.”
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“Nobody viewing these statements might take them actually,” he wrote.
Decide Hammock decided the church’s feedback about Remini are truthful underneath free speech legal guidelines as a result of Scientology is “a high-profile entity talking on a high-profile determine.”
The choose mentioned each Remini and the church have been “aware of, or provoked by,” each other’s verbal assaults.
“When seen in context, the First Amended Grievance plainly demonstrates that the alleged statements Defendants made about Plaintiff on-line implicate a broader public dispute over Plaintiff’s relationship with Scientology,” the choose wrote in his ruling. “The net posts are themselves part of the general public’s curiosity in Plaintiff and Scientology.”
What remains to be permitted in Leah Remini’s lawsuit?
A few of Remini’s defamation claims nonetheless stand.
These allegations embody Scientology-made statements that Remini was verbally abusive to her personal daughter, that she “ransacked” her grandmother’s house and that Remini refused to pay for her father’s most cancers therapies.
Remini might also nonetheless current to the courtroom her claims that she is being stalked by Scientology operatives. These allegations embody stories that an unknown particular person drove their automotive into the gates of her neighbourhood group and smashed her mailbox with a hammer in an try to steal her mail.
Scientology tried to argue that any surveillance of Remini was accomplished as a sanctioned “pre-litigation” exercise, although the choose didn’t agree.
“The courtroom sees no public curiosity within the surveillance of personal residents — even celebrities — underneath an unsupported suspicion that litigation might happen at some later time,” Hammock wrote.
Remini’s tortious interference allegations have been additionally permitted.
The actor alleged members of the church repeatedly harassed a number of colleagues and interfered in her employment contracts. Remini claimed Scientology operatives harassed staff of iHeartMedia and the distribution platform AudioBoom, each of which dealt with her podcast Scientology: Honest Sport, till the businesses ended her contract.
Remini’s lawsuit towards the Church of Scientology is about to start on Oct. 27, 2025.
Leah Remini, a ‘suppressive particular person’
Since leaving the church in 2013, Remini has been labelled a “suppressive particular person,” the title typically given to defectors who, in response to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard’s philosophy, search to quash the betterment of a bunch, on this case the church.
Remini’s legal professionals tried to acquire a sweeping judicial order that will forestall the church from labelling folks suppressive individuals and making victims of “Honest Sport” ways. The choose turned down the order for Constitutional causes, although famous the courtroom “needn’t difficulty declarations merely telling events to obey the regulation.”
After submitting her preliminary lawsuit towards the church final yr, Remini mentioned she skilled “continued, aggressive harassment.”
In September 2023, Remini amended her lawsuit and claimed the harassment towards her has “escalated to a a lot higher diploma than ever earlier than.”
Remini mentioned she, in addition to her mates, household {and professional} colleagues, have all been targets of harassment, together with alleged stalking and bank card fraud.
Regardless, Remini has continued her vocal criticism of Scientology. On Thursday, the actor requested her followers on X (previously Twitter) to donate to The Aftermath Basis, a corporation that gives support to Scientologists who wish to depart the religion.
Remini mentioned the muse was pressured to take away an adversarial billboard after “threats and strain ways” from the church, regardless of the group allegedly having a one-year contract for the billboard. (It hasn’t been confirmed that Scientology was accountable for the eliminated billboard.)
“Taking this billboard down is unacceptable and simply one other instance of a serious company caving to a harmful totalitarian cult that’s abusing its members every day as a matter of coverage,” Remini wrote.
The King of Queens actor joined the Church of Scientology as a toddler in 1979 however left greater than three many years later.
Since separating from Scientology, Remini has persistently criticized the spiritual group and Miscavige for critical abuses of energy.
In 2016, she launched the documentary collection Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which she produced and co-created. The collection gained three Emmy Awards.
Remini additionally mentioned she was “relieved” to see “harmful rapist” and famous superstar Scientologist Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in jail for 2 counts of forcible rape.
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