Leah Remini, The King of Queens actress and author who grew up a Scientologist before leaving the “truly evil organization” as an adult, has filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology.
“For 17 years, Scientology and David Miscavige have subjected me to what I believe to be psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, significantly impacting my life and career. I believe I am not the first person targeted by Scientology and its operations, but I intend to be the last,” she said in a statement posted to Substack.
Remini, who starred in and produced the Emmy-winning series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, alleged that she’s been targeted since asking a question about Miscavige’s wife Shelly at Tom Cruise’s 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes.
Remini alleges in a suit filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court that she has been “stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened, intimidated, and, moreover, has been the victim of intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors” to intimidate and silence her. She points to a “series of retaliatory activities” against people and groups deemed an “enemy” of the church.
Remini wants people in the entertainment industry, like herself, to “have a right to tell jokes and stories without facing an operation from Scientology which uses its resources in Hollywood to destroy their lives and careers. With this lawsuit, I hope to protect the rights afforded to them and me by the Constitution of the United States to speak the truth and report the facts about Scientology without fear of vicious and vindictive retribution, of which most have no way to fight back.”
You can read the full lawsuit here.
(Via Substack and the Hollywood Reporter)