Scientology Leader Proves Hard To Find After Ex-Members File Trafficking Suit, Lawyers Say
Kate Anderson on December 30, 2022
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated Florida prosecutors were searching for Scientology leader David Miscavige and characterized him as “missing.” We have updated the story to reflect that plaintiff’s lawyers say they, despite repeated attempts, were unable to serve Miscavige with a civil lawsuit filed by former church members. We regret the error.
Florida attorneys are trying to locate a Scientology leader who is listed as a defendant in a federal lawsuit concerning child trafficking, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
David Miscavige, chairman of the board of the Religious Technology Center, is the leader of the controversial Church of Scientology and the sect’s company Sea Org, according to the Times. Process servers visited 10 Church of Scientology properties and have made 27 attempts to serve Miscavige, but have been unable to locate him, the Times reported.
Plaintiffs Gawain and Laura Baxter and Valeska Paris, former Scientologists, claim in the lawsuit that they were forced as children to sign a billion-year contract with the church. Paris states that she was also sexually assaulted multiple times during her time with the sect and that she was once locked in a room for 48 hours.
The plaintiffs “grew up in, and were raised by” the Church of Scientology, the lawsuit says, claiming they were “pressured into coercive situations from a young age.”
The Church of Scientology was founded in 1953 by L. Ron Hubbard but Miscavige became the head of the church in 1986. The church is known for its secretive proceedings, including its own television channel and news, high-profile status among celebrities in Hollywood, and, in addition, accusations of financial fraud, child trafficking, sexual abusecover-ups and forced labor.
Security guards on the group’s properties claimed to have no idea where Miscavige was and refused to take the court documents, according to the Times. Baxter and Paris’ legal team hired a private investigator to track Miscavige down but so far have remained unsuccessful.
A court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20 to declare Miscavige served by default for failing to accept service papers, according to the Times. Miscavige’s attorney’s claimed in a response filed Tuesday that the church leader should not be included in the lawsuit and “part of a litigation strategy to target the leader of the religion for harassment.”
So far five of the other defendants listed in the lawsuit have been served, according to the Times. Those defendants filed in July for the case to be presented in front of a panel of current church members instead of the courts, but the decision remains pending.
Miscavige also claims that the plaintiffs cannot serve him in Florida because there is no proof of his residence or that he engages in business in the Sunshine State, according to the Times. Miscavige has lived in Scientology-owned properties since he was 16 according to Mike Rinder, a former church executive.
Attorneys for the Baxters and Paris, Miscavige’s attorneys and the Church of Scientology did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Scientology Leader Proves Hard To Find After Ex-Members File Trafficking Suit, Lawyers Say
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