A huge lawsuit was recently filed against the Church of Scientology and it’s leader over allegations of kidnapping, human trafficking, and abuse.

The Church of Scientology just got hit with a big lawsuit alleging serious allegations, including human trafficking, abuse, and kidnapping. The suit itself was filed earlier this month on June 18 against the Church of Scientology and David Miscavige, the current leader of the church. Who filed the suit, though, and why? For starters, it was filed by Jane Doe. According to her, she witnessed a host of illegal and unsavory behavior from members of the church, including “kidnapping, stalking, human trafficking, false imprisonment, libel, slander, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

For those who don’t know, the Church of Scientology has the support of many famous individuals, including actor Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, and more. The suit even goes so far as to allege that Cruise, “being employed as Miscavige’s right-hand man and best friend, is aware of many of the secrets the church has been keeping or covering up.” A source close to the church said:

“Tom [Cruise] undoubtedly knows the stories about the church, there’s very little he doesn’t know. He and David are like brothers united in their religious devotion. If David is ordering this kind of harassment on people trying to leave the church, Tom would likely see it.”

This certainly isn’t the first time the church has received negative attention. Back in 2017 an HBO documentary titled ‘Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief’ was released. During the documentary, a former member labeled the church a “prison camp where followers were allegedly forced to do hard labor for 30 hours at a time, eat table scraps and sleep on wet mattresses.”

Other’s have spoken out against the church in recent years, attempting to expose its dark secrets. For example, Leah Remini, a former member who left the church in 2013, has “made it her mission to expose the church’s physical and sexual abuse practices.” In an August 2017 episode of her A&E docuseries, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, she also revealed that “Scientology exec Debbie Cook — who was sued by the church for violating a nondisclosure agreement — had been sent to the hole, which is a double-wide trailer used by the church for solitary confinement purposes, where she was allegedly forced to lick a bathroom floor clean.”

Others foresee a bleak future for the church, including blogger Tony Ortega, a critic of the religion. According to him, “the church is in crisis…membership is dwindling, and its practices are being exposed in ways we’ve never seen before.”

Steve Mango, another critic of Scientology, chimed in regarding the recent lawsuit saying, “Scientology has been trying to cover up its crimes and abuse for decades. This suit is the beginning of the unraveling of Scientology as we know it.”

Sources:

Church of Scientology Faced With Bombshell Lawsuit: What Its A-List Members Know

Church of Scientology Facing Ex-Member Bombshell Lawsuit For “Years of Abuse” – Reports