Scientology Leader David Miscavige Demands Judge Be Removed From Leah Remini's Harassment Lawsuit
Scientology leader David Miscavige wants the judge overseeing the Leah Remini harassment lawsuit tossed from the case, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The bold legal maneuver was laid bare in a three-page court filing that accused Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Randolph Hammock of allegedly being 'impartial' in the high-stakes legal battle.
Last year, Remini sued Scientology, Miscavige, and the Religious Technology Center. She accused the defendants of conducting a decades-long harassment campaign against her.
Scientology boss David Miscavige faces a lawsuit filed by actress Leah Remini.
The King of Queens actress said the defendants targeted her after she left the church. Remini had been a member of Scientology from 1979 to 2013 and vigorously spoke out against the church and its policies after she left.
Miscavige filed the “Peremptory Challenge to Judicial Officer” just days after Judge Hammock tossed out a good portion of Remini’s lawsuit but determined there was enough evidence to prove harassment.
“The judicial officer named above, before whom the trail of, or a hearing in, this case is pending, or to whom it has been assigned, is prejudiced against the party (or his or her attorney) or the interest of the party (or his or her attorney) so that declarant cannot, or believes that he or she cannot, have a fair and impartial trail or hearing before the judicial officer,” stated the challenged document signed by Miscavige’s renowned attorney Jeffrey K. Riffer.
The King of Queens star claims she was allegedly harassed by Scientology.
The boilerplate filing did not provide any evidence of the alleged bias and Karen Pouw, a spokeswoman for the Church of Scientology did not respond to this outlet’s request for comment.
The eyebrow raising effort to remove the judge was filed just weeks after Scientology gleefully celebrated Judge Hammock’s decision to water down Remini’s lawsuit.
“This is a resounding victory for the Church and free speech—Remini's complaint was gutted,” Pouw crowed in an email statement. “The Church is entitled to its attorney fees and will be seeking them.”
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Remini also named Miscavige as a co-defendant.
In her lawsuit, Remini claimed the church and its agent had launched websites that attacked her, called up any advertisers who placed ads on her television shows, and had people show up at her mother’s home.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the King of Queens star recently filed a motion seeking permission to slap Scientology with an amended complaint based on the new bombshell evidence.
“[Remini’s] proposed [amended complaint] seeks to add one cause of action for civil conspiracy,” the court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com stated.
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Miscavige filed court documents seeking to remove judge from the case citing bias
“[Remini’s] proposed [amended complaint] seeks to amend to add: (1) allegations about David Miscavige; (2) additional allegations to support Scientology’s Fair Game tactics and harassment of Plaintiff; (3) additional allegations of harassment/stalking/surveillance by Defendants; and (4) additional statements by Defendants that Plaintiff was abusive to her family members.”
Scientology has vehemently denied Remini’s allegation and charged: "Remini’s obsession with attacking her former religion" has resulted in threats and violence against the church and its members.”
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