Co$ Lies regarding Lisa on IR
cultxpt@primenet.com (Jeff Jacobsen)
Sat, 15 May 1999 17:41:26 GMT

These are snippets from older articles where church representatives claimed Lisa was NOT on the Introspection Rundown, as they now admit was actually the case.

Mystery surrounds Scientologist's death 12/15/96

By CHERYL WALDRIP of The Tampa Tribune

People who attended the wake in Dallas say Scientologists told them McPherson died of "spinal meningitis."

Tampa attorney Robert Johnson who represents Scientology said church members initially suspected meningitis and only later learned that was not the case.

"No one knew what had happened to her," Johnson said. He said they now believe McPherson had a strep infection. Authorities have no indication of that.

[snip]

[Brian] Anderson said she was taken to the Fort Harrison Hotel because she asked to go there, and there was no indication McPherson was ill until the day of her death.

"Lisa at first didn't want to see a doctor but we talked her into seeing a doctor," Anderson said. "She knew Dr. Minkoff and he is an expert in infectious diseases so that's why she was taken there."

[snip]

Police say they cannot confirm or deny the "baby watch" allegations.

Anderson said there is no such thing as "baby watch," and that McPherson was never held in such a fashion.

"That's completely false and there is liability if you print that," Anderson said. "It's not true."

* * * *

Cause of death in dispute

By JANE MEINHARDT and THOMAS C. TOBIN
St. Petersburg Times, published December 17, 1996

"She didn't have a medical condition at all at that time," said Elliot Abelson, a Los Angeles attorney representing the church. He said McPherson checked into the hotel "to rest and think and get her strength back."

He said he did not know what triggered McPherson's odd behavior. He said she was free to come and go at the hotel. According to Abelson, she received no medication or professional medical care while there.

Abelson said that near the end of her stay at the Fort Harrison, McPherson's skin took on a yellow tint. She was seen by someone from the church's Medical Liaison Office, which refers church staffers to health professionals. "It didn't seem to be an emergency situation," he said.

* * * * *

3/30/97 -- Scientologists promised to care for woman who later died
By CHERYL WALDRIP of The Tampa Tribune

Abelson said the church "watched her carefully" and that she was not ill until the day she died on Dec. 5, 1995.

* * * *

Matt: Abelson also challenges the competency of the ME's office, and said it conspired with the police when it issued this autopsy.

Abelson: They have absolutely no basis to say that she that didn't die of natural causes.

Matt Hall: How do you know that?

Abelson: Because I've read the autopsy report [snip]

Abelson: She rested, she slept a lot, uhh, nothing unusual, uhh, really, until the end of her stay. She did (pause) get food, uhh, water, obviously people talked to her. uhh, But she got rest and relaxation.

Matt Hall: But later in our interview, Mr. Abelson does refer to something unusual:

Abelson: But it was something very unusual to see this charming 36 year old woman hitting the wall.

Matt: With her body?

Abelson: No, with her fist

[snip]

Matt: While Scietnologists don't believe in psychiatric care, they do have their own methods for dealing with members who are having what they call "Psychotic Breaks" (the red volumes, quote from I rundown) Their teaching call for isolating members who they believe are a danger to themselves or others.

There was no construction to isolate Lisa, was there?

Abelson: No. Absolutely not. That was Lisa's wish.

Matt: And she was free to come and go?

Abelson: She was free to come and go.

Matt: Abelson says Lisa became physically ill very suddenly, and it wasn't until the last 24 hours of her life that the people around her had reason to be alarmed.

Abelson: She lost a lot of fluids at that time. There certainly wasn't enough of a weight loss for anyone to suggest she be taken to the hospital, earlier than the last 24 hours.

[snip]

Matt: You have a woman who's dehydrated, she's got severe diarrhea, she's had excessive weight loss, and she's going in and out of consciousness.

Abelson: She's sleepy. You know, rou're making more about this going in and out of consciousness. She's tired.

Matt: Abelson says on the day Lisa died she participated in the discussion about going to the hospital 25 miles away. They she'd even walked, with help, part way to the van.

* * * *

Dispute over Scientologist's death

By THOMAS C. TOBIN

St. Petersburg Times, published January 23, 1997

The lab results "are consistent with a chronic process and are consistent with an event such as a bloodstream infection that occurred within a period of hours," Wood said. "She wasn't fine one day and dead the next."

Wood also concluded that McPherson had been bitten by ants or roaches.

Her disclosures to the Times and to the television news magazine Inside Edition infuriated Elliot J. Abelson, a Los Angeles lawyer who represents Scientology. The church has its spiritual headquarters in Clearwater.

In a phone interview Wednesday from Los Angeles, Abelson said of Wood: "Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Hateful liar. That's what she is."

* * * *

Family sues Scientology in '95 death of woman

By THOMAS C. TOBIN

St. Petersburg Times, published February 20, 1997

The lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that McPherson was in a coma and was systematically subjected to a "series of techniques," including a Scientology treatment known as the "Introspection Rundown."

The treatment calls for isolation, against a person's will if necessary, and mandates that those watching the person stay silent during the treatment.

Abelson insisted McPherson did not receive the treatment.

He acknowledged that "it's part of church services" and added: "I'm not making any excuses for it."

* * * * St. Petersburg Times
February 21, 1997
SCIENTOLOGY HAD WOMAN IN ISOLATION
By Thomas C. Tobin

According to Abelson, McPherson did not receive an Introspection Rundown during her period of isolation.

[snip]

Abelson insisted McPherson did not receive the Introspection Rundown or any other church services. Nevertheless, the treatment is getting big play on the Internet, where Scientology critics were among the first to suggest its possible implications in the McPherson case.

The Introspection Rundown also is advertised on the church's Internet site as one of several Scientology procedures for which church counselors can get training.