Leah Remini Accused Scientology Leader David Miscavige of ‘Harassment’: Lawsuit Details
Leah Remini has filed a lawsuit against Scientology and leader David Miscavige, accusing him and the church of “harassment, surveillance and defamation,” In Touch can confirm.
What Did Leah Remini Accuse Scientology Leader David Miscavige Of?
Claiming that she has been "stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened [and] intimidated" for the last 10 years, Remini alleged in court documents obtained by In Touch on August 2 that she has been the targeted victim of "intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors" via social media accounts associated with the church.
The actress further alleged in her lawsuit that leaders of Scientology created a "campaign to ruin and destroy [her] life and livelihood," while also targeting her loved one. She claimed to file the suit in an attempt to "recover compensatory and punitive damages" for the harm allegedly caused by the church and its leaders, having walked away from the institution in 2013.
Remini further claimed she was targeted after she spoke out against the Church of Scientology when she was asked about their leader's missing wife, Michele “Shelley” Miscavige, after she failed to attend Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ wedding in 2006, according to the lawsuit obtained by In Touch.
The Kings of Queens actress filed a missing person's report in 2013, as Shelley has not been publicly seen since 2007, and claimed that she was intimidated as a result. Meanwhile, David has reportedly been hiding from authorities since January 2023 in an attempt to evade a human trafficking lawsuit, according to Florida Magistrate Judge Julie Sneed who wrote, "[Miscavige is] actively concealing his whereabouts or evading service."
As part of her filing, Remini also alleged that ?the church sent “disparaging and threatening letters” to those who were promoting her 2016 book, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology, and further targeted her after she took part in A&E's Scientology and the Aftermath docuseries.
The Kevin Can Wait actress went on to allege that celebrities who are active Scientologists were “drilled” on how to attack her credibility and were told to refer to her as a “criminal.”
What Is Leah Remini Asking For in Her Lawsuit Against the Scientology Leader?
The New York native filed eight counts against the religious organization in her lawsuit, while she also asked for punitive and compensatory damages to be proven at trial. Additionally, she asked for “damages for the disruption of contractual relationships and lost business opportunities” for an undisclosed amount.
Remini claimed she was held at the spiritual HQ of Scientology and was “put through a process that cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars and nearly led her to have a psychotic breakdown.”
“David Miscavige subsequently acknowledged that it was wrong to have subjected Ms. Remini to the Truth Rundown and returned at least some of her money,” the lawsuit reads. “Ms. Remini was made to make ‘amends’ at FLAG not only to David Miscavige but to Tom Cruise. For example, she was forced to donate money to name a seat in a theater after Suri Cruise and was to raise money for donation to Scientology causes led by Tom Cruise.”
What Has Leah Remini Said About the Lawsuit?
Leah took to her website shortly after the lawsuit was filed to explain her ?legal movements in more detail. ?
“After 17 years of harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and defamation, I am filing a lawsuit against Scientology and David Miscavige,” she wrote. “While advocating for victims of Scientology has significantly impacted my life and career, Scientology’s final objective of silencing me has not been achieved. While this lawsuit is about what Scientology has done to me, I am one of thousands of targets of Scientology over the past seven decades. People who share what they’ve experienced in Scientology, and those who tell their stories and advocate for them, should be free to do so without fearing retaliation from a cult with tax exemption and billions in assets.”
She went on to explain that she hopes the lawsuit will “protect the rights afforded to them and me by the Constitution of the United States to speak the truth and report the facts about Scientology without fear of vicious and vindictive retribution, of which most have no way to fight back.”