---

Scientology Crime Syndicate

http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,56678,00.html

====================

Scientologists pay for libel
Clare Dyer, Legal Correspondent

Wednesday June 9, 1999

The Church of Scientology agreed yesterday to pay £55,000 libel damages to a former member the church accused of waging a "hate campaign" against it.

The controversial church, founded in the early 1950s by the late science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, apologised at the high court in London for publishing a defamatory leaflet about Bonnie Woods, an American who became a Scientologist in the 1970s but left the church in 1982.

The out of court settlement ends a six-year legal battle by Mrs Woods, 49, who moved to England with her husband, Richard, in 1985 and converted to Christianity in 1991.

Her QC, Michael Tugendhat, told Mr Justice Eady that she publicly criticised Scientology and spoke to the media about her experiences as a member.

The Church of Scientology religious education college - responsible for the propagation and practice of Scientology in the UK - produced a leaflet in June 1993 describing her as a hate campaigner and a deprogrammer who tried to force people away from their chosen faith. It cast doubt on the sincerity of her claims to be a born-again Christian. Mr Tugendhat said the church now accepted that the allegations were untrue.

The church's QC, Patrick Moloney, said it regretted it went too far and undertook not to make such allegations again.

Mrs Woods said she was absolutely delighted with the outcome. The leading City law firm Allen & Overy took on her case free of charge at the request of the civil liberties organisation Liberty.

----------------------------------------

Copyright Guardian Media Group plc. 1999 --
This is the cosmedia list for notification of current & future media attention on the CoS. Send alerts to cosmedia@drink.com. Admin to cosmedia-admin@drink.com


Click here for some additional truth about the Scientology crime syndicate: XENU.NET



This web page (and The Skeptic Tank) is in no way connected with nor part of the Scientology crime syndicate. To review the crime syndicate's absurdly idiotic web pages, check out www.scientology.org or any one of the many secret front groups the cult attempts to hide behind.

Further facts about this criminal empire may be found at Operation Clambake and FACTNet.

---

The views and opinions stated within this web page are those of the author or authors which wrote them and may not reflect the views and opinions of the ISP or account user which hosts the web page. The opinions may or may not be those of the Chairman of The Skeptic Tank.

Return to The Skeptic Tank's main Index page.

E-Mail Fredric L. Rice / The Skeptic Tank