How Leah Remini plans to wage war on Church of Scientology: ‘She will call Tom Cruise as a witness’

Leah Remini is on a one-woman campaign to power the Church of Scientology to its knees—and he or she is about to pull Tom Cruise alongside together with her.

The “King of Queens” star needs to power an actual accounting for the church she fled in 2013, and filed a lawsuit Wednesday which reveals extraordinary allegations of a harassment marketing campaign in opposition to her and different “survivors.”

Remini, 53, who named Cruise’s BFF, Scientology chief David Miscavige, as a defendant within the swimsuit, has former church leaders backing her—and so they inform The Put up they’re prepared to inform their fact about its “regime of abuse.”

Remini, who has labeled Hollywood icon Cruise as “basically second in command” within the church, alleged that she was held at a Scientology facility for 4 months and “psychologically punished” after asking the place Miscavige’s spouse, Shelly Miscavige, was at Cruise’s 2006 Italian marriage ceremony to his ex-wife Katie Holmes.

One highly-placed supply instructed The Put up: “I believe that Leah will name Tom to be a witness. She claims that she was abused after his marriage ceremony, so why wouldn’t she name him? He’s part of this.”

The Put up has reached out to Cruise for remark.

The church grew out of the writings of British science fiction creator, L. Ron Hubbard, who got here to imagine that human our bodies are a brief house for immortal spirits often known as “thetans.”

Its followers—estimated at 30,000 or extra—have given the church a fortune extensively estimated to run as much as $3 billion.

However its secrecy and practices together with encouraging members to signal billion-year pledges of servitude have lengthy seen it being known as a “cult” by critics.

In keeping with the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom Wednesday, the Church of Scientology “stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened, intimidated” Remini after she stop the church in 2013.

She accuses it of spreading lies about her on a whole lot of social media accounts it controls. Members of the family, associates and colleagues have additionally allegedly been “incessantly harassed, threatened, intimidated, and embarrassed.” 

The hate marketing campaign has value her work, she claims.

Critics say Scientology has a coverage recognized internally as “Honest Sport,” which lets it use scorched earth techniques in opposition to its enemies—particularly individuals who go away.

Two senior leaders who stop Scientology instructed The Put up that Cruise was a key a part of the church’s management.

Claire Headley left the church together with her husband Mark in 2006 and was an expert witness on Scientology for the prosecution within the Danny Masterton rape trial this yr.

She instructed The Put up that Cruise’s seniority meant that he would have “private information” of “abuses” inside Scientology and information of “Honest Sport” so it might make sense for Leah to name him as a witness.

“Leah’s absolutely the reverse of Tom Cruise, she’s one in all a sort and he or she’s main the cost.”

Final summer season, when Cruise, 60, who has been a member of the church for the reason that mid-Eighties, was feted for saving Hollywood together with his “High Gun” sequel, “High Gun: Maverick,” Headley wrote in a Facebook post: “Glad all you High Gun followers are having fun with the brand new film.

“Personally, latest posts about this film solely serve to remind me of Tom Cruise and his crimes in opposition to humanity.”

Three years after she and her husband fled the church in 2006, they filed a swimsuit in opposition to Scientology, alleging that the group violated human trafficking legal guidelines and folks’s human rights. 

She accused the church of forcing her to have two abortions when she was a member.

However their case was dismissed and so they needed to pay the church’s $43,000 authorized charges; the church mentioned her case’s claims had been meritless.

After leaving the church and suing it, she instructed The Put up she was harassed and focused by it.

“The church had an image of my son when he was at some point outdated, alleging he was sickly in order that meant we had been jealous of Tom Cruise because the ‘cause’ we had been exposing Scientology abuses – probably the most vile b——t.
“They’d particular trash collections on us, obtained our cellphone data, positioned false associates into our lives who rifled via our belongings, gathering intel on us.” 

In 2015, Remini revealed a memoir, “Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology,” and in 2017 gained a Tv Critics Affiliation award for her collection “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.”

Headley mentioned: “She’s an incredible advocate for victims, which is why Scientology is squealing. One of these strategy and motion has been wanted for many years.

“Leah’s standing up for herself in addition to hitting again on the 1000’s of Scientology insurance policies that for many years had been used in opposition to me, my household, and lots of, many different individuals.

“The actual fact they use tax-exempt {dollars} to get away with this in 2023 is completely beautiful.”

The Headleys now dwell with their three sons, aged 17, 15, and 10, in Colorado and run an internet accountancy enterprise, in addition to serving to individuals go away Scientology.

Headley says they’re nonetheless focused by the church, with Scientology-run web sites peddling lies about them —and folks even reaching out to their shoppers to assault them.

The church launched a prolonged assertion calling Remini’s lawsuit “ludicrous” and her allegations “lunacy.”

“Remini spreads hate and falsehoods for a decade and is now offended when individuals train their proper to free speech, exposing her for what she is—an anti-free speech bigot,” the assertion added.

.Headley recommended the response confirmed Scientology is troubled by the case, and mentioned: “What’s most likely most stunning, besides not stunning to me, is {that a} billion greenback group doesn’t actually have a title to signal the response, it’s from no one.”

Former Scientologist Amy Scobee, 60, who was answerable for its Superstar Centre, is ready to provide proof for Remini.

She turned a member of the church when she was 14, and alleges she was sexually abused by her 35-year-old superior.

She instructed The Put up: “Many occasions I’ve mentioned we must always sue, as a result of Scientology’s legal harassment and stalking of whistleblowers was so excessive, however I didn’t know if it might ever come to fruition.

“It’s not somewhat factor to go up in opposition to Scientology within the authorized enviornment; when you thought your harassment was unhealthy earlier than, it’s going to get an entire world worse.

“A couple of months in the past, I spoke to Leah’s legal professionals and spent fairly a while telling all of them about my a long time of expertise at the best administration echelon of Scientology and with David Miscavige.

“If the swimsuit does go to trial, I instructed them that I’m completely keen to stand up on the stand and testify. I’ve a lot proof and 18 years of expertise with their ‘Honest Sport’ and assault techniques.”

 The church claims Scobee is a liar and says she was dismissed for ethics breaches.

“There may nicely be a category motion by former Scientologists in mild of Remini’s case,” Headley mentioned.”There may be actually a category there, there’s no scarcity of individuals Scientology has lied about and tried to destroy.”

“Loads have been victims of bullying and evil techniques, so that you by no means know. My actual hesitation in a authorized battle with them is realizing how vicious, how litigious they’re, what number of legislation companies are of their make use of. It’s not a straightforward highway.”

Headley mentioned she hoped the swimsuit would make clear the enduring thriller of the disappearance of Shelly Miscavige, the spouse of chief David. However she mentioned: “The underside line – greater than the place is Shelly, is why are legislation enforcement and authorities businesses standing by, how is that this potential on this day in age?”

Now, former members say, they hope the swimsuit will create the reckoning for Scientology that Remini needs.

“Nothing about that is simple… the church has been getting their manner for many years and Leah may be very bravely calling them to activity,” mentioned Headley.