JISHOU, HUNAN — The French have dared to tread where no one else has gone: they are suing the Church of Scientology for fraud.
I wonder if Scientology’s poster boy, Tom Cruise, is jumping on any couches now.
A woman who claims she was tricked into spending all of her savings — €21,000– on Scientology training and paraphernalia filed suit in the French courts. The church naturally denies the charges. From the BBC:
Her lawyers will argue that the church systematically seeks to make money by means of mental pressure and the use of scientifically dubious “cures”.
A lawyer for the church, Patrick Maisonneuve, told AFP news agency: “We will contest every charge and prove that there was no mental manipulation.”
Scientologists called as witnesses by the defence are expected to argue that they espouse a belief system like any other.
True, if those others were also created from whole cloth by a B-grade science fiction author, or if they charge beaucoups dollars (or euros) for the privilege of receiving religious instruction.
Also named in the suit are seven individual Scientologists, some of whom are charged with practicing pharmacy without a license.
According to this report, there originally were five plaintiffs, but three settled (bought off by) the church for undisclosed sums.
If the CoS is found guilty, it will have to close up shop in France. Another country’s citizens will be safe from these con artists.
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