Leah Remini's Scientology Lawsuit: Elusive Church Leader David Miscavige Has Been Served, Judge Rules
Leah Remini sued David Miscavige and the Church of Scientology for alleged stalking, harassment, and defamation.
Feb. 14 2024, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
Leah Remini is closing in on the Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige after accusing him and the religious group of stalking, harassment, and defamation. Judge Hammock has tentatively ruled Miscavige has been served in the case, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Once it becomes official, the elusive 64-year-old Scientology boss will be ordered to respond to Remini's lawsuit within 30 days, ending his cat-and-mouse game with the Hollywood star.
The judge tentatively ruled that Miscavige has been served.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Remini claimed she spent over $10k to track down Miscavige to serve him the lawsuit. She also submitted photos as evidence. The pictures obtained by this outlet showed the determined process server efforts to hunt down the Church of Scientology's leader before finally dropping the legal papers at a security guard's feet.
Miscavige's attorney, Jeffrey Riffer, claimed that the places the process server went were not locations where David lived or worked, and, therefore, Remini's team had not made “reasonably diligent” attempts to find the church leader.
The judge allegedly didn't see it that way.
This would mean that he has 30 days to respond to Remini's lawsuit.
“Now that the guffaws have subsided, the speciousness of that argument becomes readily apparent when one actually examines the facts,” Judge Hammock wrote in his tentative ruling, according to Tony Ortega.
The judge said that two or three attempts to serve someone at a proper location are usually considered “reasonably diligent,” and he believes Remini went above and beyond in her endeavors.
Leah said she's spent more than $10k to serve the church leader.
"Plaintiff attempted service at seven addresses, on multiple dates, believed to be affiliated with the Church and/or Miscavige. Plaintiff’s counsel has spent 'nearly $10,000.00 thus far in [their] attempts to serve Miscavige,'" the documents read per The Underground Bunker.
"Admittedly, it is difficult to identify which of the numerous properties owned or operated by the Church is Miscavige’s 'usual place of abode' or 'usual place of business.' The difficulty in doing so comes from the Church’s use of gates, lawyers, and private security to obscure Miscavige’s whereabouts…
"Under the circumstances, service on security guards — who were apparently in charge of the properties and could and did deny the process servers access to various Scientology properties — was sufficient to serve Miscavige. This cat-and-mouse-game has run its course."
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It's important to note that this is a tentative ruling. Judge Hamock's decision is not yet official, but it appears that Remini will be winning this round.
RadarOnline.com has reached out to Remini and Scientology for comment.
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The judge decided that Leah did her due diligence and Miscavige was served.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Remini sued Scientology and Miscavige for alleged stalking, harassment, and defamation in August 2023, claiming they "have undertaken a campaign to ruin and destroy" her life and livelihood "after she was deemed a Suppressive Person and declared Fair Game by Scientology in 2013, when she publicly departed Scientology, a Suppressive Act as laid out by Scientology directives."
The King of Queens actress filed for a preliminary injunction, asking that the defendants in the lawsuit be prohibited from “harassing or attacking” her and her family members after church agents allegedly.
