NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 21, 1994

TO: NEWS EDITORS

FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL F.A.C.T.Net, Inc. or Lawrence
Wollersheim at 1-303-473-0111.

"CHURCH" OF SCIENTOLOGY OF CALIFORNIA THREATENED BY RECEIVERSHIP

On October 26th, Tom Cruise, Lisa Marie Presley (Michael Jackson's wife), Kirstie Alley, John Travolta, and other Hollywood celebrities may find that one of the main entities of the bizarre and dangerous cult to which they have pledged their loyalty has been forced into receivership.

(Wollersheim v. "Church" of Scientology of California, LASC # C 332 027)

By refusing to pay a U.S. Supreme Court approved multi-million dollar judgment, the "Church" of Scientology of California (the former Scientology mother organization hereafter "Scientology") seems to have placed itself above the law.

"Receivership was the only answer for me," says Lawrence Wollersheim, a former member and the lawsuit victor.

"Scientology vowed 'not one thin dime for Wollersheim,' while they stripped an estimated 500 million dollars in assets out of the corporation, and then told my attorney that if I even tried to collect it would be 'World War III.' What else could I do?"

Scientology was ordered by the LA Superior Court not to dissipate its assets so that it could pay the judgment if it did not prevail on appeal. The appellate courts even waived the normal posting of bond because Scientology claimed to be a "religion". According to Wollersheim, "If Scientology is a "religion" then it is so only in the context of being similar in nature to satanic and neo-Nazi "church"es."

Victims' rights organizations are watching this case closely because of Scientology's reputation for abusing the legal system and its alleged out-of-court harassment tactics.

Bob Penny, an expert on Scientology and a Director of F.A.C.T.Net, a nonprofit cult information service said, "Scientology's refusals to pay the Wollersheim judgment and their endless tactical delays and strategy of bankrupting opponents are attempts to intimidate and discourage thousands of other Scientology victims and discourage use of the legal process for legitimate redress of grievances." Penny estimates pending suits and potential new suits against Scientology could eventually total a billion dollars."

Wollersheim said he has already begun the process of seizing Scientology's assets and that he feels no sympathy for the celebrities involved. "These celebrities irresponsibly allow Scientology to use their reputations to lure and exploit the naive and vulnerable." Wollersheim also said, "Scientology's exploitative mind control techniques produce a hidden casualty rate of suicides, attempted suicides, psychoses, and neuroses.

Scientology's total destructiveness over the last forty years may already have surpassed Jonestown, Waco, and the Swiss Solar Temple combined."

Wollersheim hopes putting this organization into receivership will help stop the abuse and will prove to Scientology's leader, David Miscavige, and its other top executives, lawyers, and accountants that while "Scientology may act like they are above the law, they are not beyond it."

End

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