'She is a Horrible Person and Toxic': Church of Scientology Fires Back at Leah Remini's Bombshell Harassment Lawsuit
Aug. 3 2023, Published 5:43 p.m. ET
The Church of Scientology issued a lengthy statement in response to an explosive lawsuit filed by actress Leah Remini against the religious group and leader David Miscavige for "harassment, surveillance, and defamation," claiming the actress has been spewing hate and falsehoods.
The famed King of Queens star has filed eight counts against them in her lawsuit, seeking punitive and compensatory damages at trial, claiming she has faced "psychological harm" since leaving the organization in 2013.
"This lawsuit is ludicrous and the allegations pure lunacy," the statement from the Church of Scientology shared with RadarOnline.com began. "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."
"Remini's complaints are like an anti-Semite complaining about the Jewish Anti-Defamation League for exposing the anti-Semite's bigotry and propaganda."
The Hollywood star had previously gone public about her experiences, doing advocacy work while giving other former members a platform on her docuseries Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.
Within the bombshell civil lawsuit, Remini alleged that she was targeted following a remark at Tom Cruise's wedding to now-ex-wife Katie Holmes. She allegedly asked the whereabouts of Michele "Shelley" Miscavige during the star-studded nuptials.
"Remini's obsessesion with attacking her former religion, by spreading falsehoods and hate speech, has generated threats and actual violence against the Church and its members as evidenced by multiple criminal convictions of individuals poisoned by Remini's propaganda. All the while, Remini has profited handsomely from her fabrications, through the sale of hate books, hate podcasts, and paid-for tabloid hate television," the statement continued.
"Now that Remini's propaganda has been exposed, Remini has spun entirely out of control by filing a frivolous lawsuit attempting to stop free speech exposing her false propaganda," the Church of Scientology declared. "Remini's decade of harassment and fabrications are all coming back to haunt her."
In her lawsuit, Remini's lawyer wrote, “For the past ten years, Ms. Remini has been stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened, intimidated, and, moreover, has been the victim of intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors via hundreds of Scientology-controlled and coordinated social media accounts that exist solely to intimidate and spread misinformation."
The Kevin Can Wait star claimed the defendants cost her a lucrative gig on a game show and caused her longtime publicist to leave her. She also made a note about a deal she had with iHeartMedia for a podcast about Scientology. Remini said Scientologists launched a campaign to derail her podcast by accusing her of defaming church members.
"If Remini can no longer get a job, she has nobody to blame but herself. 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," they fired back.
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"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."
The Church of Scientology went on to deny all claims of wrongdoing made by Remini.
"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."
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