The Church of Scientology called Leah Remini an “anti-free speech bigot” in its response to a lawsuit she has filed, which the organization referred to as “ludicrous.”
Just a day after the “King of Queens” star filed the lawsuit against the church, accusing the organization of several crimes, including defamation, stalking and harassment, the church issued its own statement.
“This lawsuit is ludicrous and the allegations pure lunacy,” the statement to media said. “Remini spreads hate and falsehoods for a decade and is now offended when people exercise their right to free speech, exposing her for what she is—an anti-free speech bigot.”
The statement continued: “Remini’s complaints are like an antisemite complaining about the Jewish Anti-Defamation League for exposing the antisemite’s bigotry and propaganda. Remini’s obsession with attacking her former religion, by spreading falsehoods and hate speech, has generated threats of and actual violence against the Church and its members as evidenced by multiple criminal convictions of individuals poisoned by Remini’s propaganda.”
Remini filed suit Wednesday in the Los Angeles Superior Court, saying that after she stepped away from the church in 2013, the organization “stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened [and] intimidated” Remini, who has been “the victim of intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors.”
In addition, she said the church targeted individuals and groups it considered to be “enemies” in a “series of retaliatory activities.”
The church’s statement went on to say Remini “profited handsomely from her fabrications” about the church through different forms of media, including her podcast and authored books. It claimed Remini “has simply spun entirely out of
control by filing a frivolous lawsuit attempting to stop free speech exposing her false propaganda.”
“Remini’s decade of harassment and fabrications are all coming back to haunt
her,” the church continued. “If Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself.”
The church also took shots at Remini’s personal and industry relationships.
“Obviously everybody in Hollywood now knows what we already knew: That Remini is a horrible person and toxic to so many who have the misfortune to come in contact with her,” the statement continued. “While Remini was in the Church, she had to restrain her antisocial traits. She said so herself—that Scientology was the only thing keeping her ‘monster’ at bay.”
By the end of its message, the church said it won’t be breaking any sweat over her legal dispute and suggested she relocate out of the country if she takes issue with free speech.
“The Church is not intimidated by Remini’s latest act of blatant harassment and
attempt to prevent truthful free speech. If Remini does not believe in free speech, then she should consider emigrating to Russia.”
Remini was a member of Scientology for 35 years. She was introduced to the organization at age 13. During that time, the actress said she was subjected to significant financial repercussions, which included her dropping $5 million on “so-called financial enlightenment” of Remini and her family and friends. She also accused the church of depriving her of a formal education as a child and said she was forced to participate in “training sessions,” which “involved verbally, physically and sexually abusive practices.”
Scientology’s “decade-long, coordinated harassment,” the lawsuit states, has “caused severe emotional distress to Ms. Remini, has made her fear for her physical safety and that of her family, and has caused the loss of business opportunities.”
Remini cocreated the A&E docuseries “Scientology and the Aftermath,” which aired for three seasons from 2016 to 2019. She was also a witness in the New York civil rape trial of fellow former member and church critic Paul Haggis. In that case – which Haggis lost – Remini and “Aftermath” co-host Mike Rinder supported the theory, without any hard evidence, that the church was somehow behind the allegations in the case.
