Daniel A. Leipold,
State Bar No. 77159
LEIPOLD, DONOHUE & SHIPE, LLP
960-A West Seventeenth Street
Santa Ana, CA 92706
Telephone: (714) 796-1555
Facsimile: (714) 796-1550
Attorney for Plaintiff,
LAWRENCE DOMINICK WOLLERSHEIM
SUPERIOR
COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
FOR THE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
LAWRENCE
DOMINICK WOLLERSHEIM Plaintiff, vs. CHURCH OF
SCIENTOLOGY OF Defendant |
Case No.: C 332 027
DECLARATION OF JESSE PRINCE |
I, Jesse
Prince declare as follows:
1. I am over 18 years of age and currently reside in the State of Colorado,
County of Boulder. This declaration is of my own personal knowledge and
if called upon to testify to the facts herein I could and would be competently
able to testify thereto.
MY PARTICIPATION IN SCIENTOLOGY
2. I am intimately
familiar with the Scientology organization, movement and beliefs because
I was in Scientology for 16 years (1976-92) and served in the highest
ranks, including as the second in command of the Religious Technology
Center (RTC). At that time, my position was "Deputy Inspector General,
External" which meant being in charge of all activities outside the
body of Scientology. This included being in charge of all litigation by
or against any Scientology organization, intelligence (spying, covert
operations) brought against perceived or imagined "enemies"
(which ranged from critics to media to the courts), trademark registrations,
and the licensing of trademarks to other Scientology organizations, which
was how we tightly controlled all Scientology corporations while creating
the false impression of "corporate integrity."
3. From the time
RTC was created in the early 80's until the time I left RTC, RTC was the
most senior, most powerful and most influential organization in all of
Scientology. All RTC employees were Sea Org members.
4. In March 1983, I became the Deputy Inspector General, External, and
a member of the Board of Directors RTC, as its Treasurer. (The only other
board members were Warren McShane as Secretary and Vicki Aznaran as President,
during this time.) At the time I was appointed a member of the Board of
Directors of RTC I was forced to sign an undated letter of resignation.
This is standard practice with all Scientology board members and is another
means by which the Scientology corporations are controlled while giving
the appearance of corporate integrity.
ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED UNDER THE GUISE OF RTC MANAGEMENT
5 . During my tenure
with RTC, I have been privy to the destruction and alteration of documents
to protect the group. For example, on or about April of 1983 I was present
at a meeting, which took place in Los Angeles, California at a Scientology
office called Author Services, Inc. (ASI). ASI presented itself as the
"literary agency" for Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. In
reality it was actually where the Scientology empire was being run from
at that time. All of Scientology was being directed from ASI in 1983.
ASI was where various Scientology corporations went to receive orders.
6 . Present at this particular meeting was David Miscavige, then acting
under the title of chairman of the board of ASI, Vicki Aznaran then the
Deputy Inspector General of Religious Technology Center, (RTC) and Lymon
Spurlock, who was "Director of Client Affairs" for ASI. Mr.
Miscavige expressed concern at this meeting that there might possibly
be a raid on Scientology by the IRS. At that time, none of the churches
of Scientology had received tax exempt status.
7 . One principle reason why tax exempt status had not been granted was the IRS's position that Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard (LRH) was actually the managing agent of Scientology in complete disregard of the corporate structure of Scientology. We knew this to be a fact but also knew that it violated IRS rules and thus had to be hidden.
8 . There was concern
that the IRS would obtain the hundreds of daily, weekly and monthly LRH
orders written by Mr. Hubbard and distributed throughout Scientology.
These orders were commonly referred to in Scientology as "advices"
to avoid the appearance that LRH was actually running Scientology. In
fact, LRH was running Scientology. The principle concern expressed at
this meeting was that the LRH orders or "advices" would be used
to name L. Ron Hubbard as the managing agent of Scientology.
9 . Because of an already existing fear that an LRH "advice" might fall into the wrong hands, these orders from him were written in a way that we could deny it was from him. His name was not on them. He was never cited in the dispatch except in the third person. There was no signature and a salutation in reply was never more than "Dear Sir." The routing at the top referred to him merely as "*," an asterisk. However if a person (or an agency) got enough of these, there would be little doubt that we were in touch with Hubbard (via ASI) and he was telling us and each corporation what to do to make him more money.
10. David Miscavige
specifically stated that ASI was "already dealing with the problem",
ridding ASI of any documents that would implicate L. Ron Hubbard as managing
agent of Scientology. He stated that under his directive the LRH orders,
or "advices", were being collected and transferred by truck
to a Riverside County recycling plant where the documents were to be "pulped".
This method of destruction was considered to be better than shredding.
I was also given instructions that I was in charge of purging the remainder
of the Scientology organization of LRH orders. This was to include Church
of Scientology of California (CSC); Church of Scientology International
(CSI); and, RTC.
DESTRUCTION OF WOLLERSHEIM DOCUMENTS
11. Several weeks
after this first meeting, I attended second meeting at the ASI offices
concerning the continuing destruction of Scientology corporate documentation.
In attendance at the second meeting were David Miscavige, Lymon Spurlock,
Vicki Aznaran, Norman Starkey of ASI and Marty Rathburn of ASI. At this
meeting, David Miscavige for the first time, stated that Scientology had
been ordered by a court to produce various documents concerning a former
Scientology member named Lawrence Wollersheim who had a lawsuit pending
in Los Angeles against the Church of Scientology of California. The court
had ordered Scientology to produce Mr. Wollersheim's entire 'preclear"
(PC) file.
12. A "PC" file is one of several files kept on members. The
PC file is the file that includes all written records of all "confessionals"
done by the member. This means that it includes not only the most self-damaging
material, but it also reflects every problem the person might have had
with the organization, including complaints. This PC file grows with the
person's tenure in Scientology.
13. Mr. Wollersheim's
PC file was several thousand pages in length and stood as high as a six-foot
tall man. Initially at this meeting, it was decided that Mr. Wollersheim's
PC file would be redacted and culled of any evidence or documentation
which might assist Mr. Wollersheim in his lawsuit against CSC. There was
also concern that the materials known as Clear, OT I, OT II, OT III and
NED for OTS (NOTS) would be open to public inspection if Mr.Wollersheim's
files were produced as ordered. Scientologists are taught that a person
could catch pneumonia and die if that person is prematurely exposed to
these 'upper level" materials without first having taken many hours
of preparatory auditing.
14. Ultimately, approximately 50 pages were produced pursuant to the court
order. Mr. Wollersheim's PC file was culled based on a direct order from
David Miscavige.
15. Later, I was informed that a second court order was issued to produce
Mr. Wollersheim's entire file. Faced with the prospect of having to produce
the entire file David Miscavige gave orders that the entire file simply
be destroyed by being pulped.
16. Pursuant to Mr. Miscavige's orders, I ordered Rick Aznaran to take
Mr. Wollersheim's PC files to the recycling plant in Riverside to be pulped.
Several hours after I gave the order to have Mr. Wollersheim's PC files
destroyed, Mr. Aznaran returned and confirmed that the records had been
pulped and even showed me a small bottle of pulped material, saying 'Here's
what's left."
17. The material that David Miscavige ordered destroyed and which Rick
Aznaran had pulped was the same material that the court had ordered produced
in Mr. Wollersheim's Los Angeles court case against CSC.
COMMON SCIENTOLOGY PRACTICE OF DECEPTION AND LIES IN THE WOLLERSHEIM CASE AND IN GENERAL
18. During the time
I was on the Board of Directors of RTC, (1983 to 1987) I attended numerous
legal strategy sessions that dealt with the Wollersheim v. Church of Scientology
case. Most of these legal strategy sessions took place in the boardroom
at Author's Services, Inc. The general legal strategy of Scientology both
before and after the Wollersheim judgment was rendered against the Church
of Scientology of California was to make the case so complex and expensive
that it would go on forever and Mr. Wollersheim would never be able to
collect "One Thin Dime".
19. This general legal strategy as pursued in the Wollersheim case is
consistent with Scientology's overall legal strategy as set forth by L.
Ron Hubbard, the "source" of all of Scientology's policies as
follows:
The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage rather than to win... the law can be used very easily to harass, and... will generally be sufficient to cause [the enemy's] professional decease. If possible, of course ruin him utterly. The DEFENSE of anything is UNTENABLE. The only way to defend anything is to ATTACK, and if you ever forget that, then you will lose every battle you are ever engaged in... NEVER BE INTERESTED IN CHARGES. DO, yourself, much MORE CHARGING and you will WIN. L. Ron Hubbard, Magazine articles on Level 0 Checksheet |
20. During the same
period of time, I was also present at legal strategy sessions that dealt
with the Christofferson case in Oregon and the David Mayo case in the
USDC for the Central District of California also known as RTC, et al.
v. Robin Scott 85-711-JMI (Bx). The identical legal strategy was employed
in those actions.
21. The various legal strategy sessions involving the Wollersheim case
were attended by the following Scientology representatives:
Lyman Spurlock
of Author's Services, Inc. (ASI); Norman Starkey of ASI; Marty Rathburn of ASI; David Miscavige of AS1 Vicki Aznaran of RTC; Warren McShane of RTC; Marc Yeager of CSI; and, Myself of RTC. |
CORPORATE NAMES AND BOUNDARIES WERE MEANINGLESS
22. It is incumbent
on this and every court, as well as the authorities, to realize the amount
of deception, chicanery, lying, manipulation and outright criminality
that Scientology will employ to hide the truth about their criminal activities.
They will spend any amount of money to do this. I know because I was part
of it for years. I received orders to break the law, and then I helped
to hide these criminal activities just as they are hiding them now.
23. Scientology developed a daunting corporate structure. This structure
was designed to confuse those outside of the organization. In reality,
corporate names and boundaries were meaningless. Control was centralized
in one person. During his lifetime until his death in 1986 that person
was L. Ron Hubbard. After his death, all control of Scientology vested
and remains in David Miscavige.
24. The one thing that all of us had in common is that we were all members
of the Sea Organization. The Sea Organization, or 'Sea Org" is a
paramilitary type organization that virtually governs all of Scientology
under guidance of David Miscavige.
25. Our corporate
positions were so much window dressing. It was our Scientology positions
and our membership in the Sea Organization that gave us the power to control
things within Scientology, including setting legal strategy for a corporation
that we were not officers or directors of, such as defendant Church of
Scientology of California.
SCIENTOLOGY HAD A CORE OF LAWYERS USED FOR ALL PURPOSES
26. The attorneys present when the legal strategy for the Wollersheim
case was discussed included:
Sherman Lenske;
Earl Cooley; Chris Cobb; John Peterson; Lawrence Heller; and, Joe Yanny |
27. Not everyone listed above was present for every meeting. However, I am positive that at sessions at which the legal strategy to be employed in the Wollersheim case was discussed, the lawyers involved in the Wollersheim case freely discussed that case and took directions from persons who were not officers, directors or employees of the defendant Church of Scientology of California, including me.
DAVID MISCAVIGE CONTROLLED THE WOLLERSHEIM LAWYERS
28. David Miscavige routinely gave orders to attorneys representing Scientology corporations, regardless of which Scientology Corporation the attorneys ostensibly represented. This was true in every legal strategy session and in every legal case including Wollersheim.
29. I recall one legal strategy session after the judgment was rendered specifically. The attorneys representing CSC in the Wollersheim case were present. Marty Rathburn gave a general briefing on the case mentioning that the judge hated Scientology and that Scientology was not going to pay. David Miscavige said that Scientology was not going to pay even if it cost Scientology more than the thirty nillion-dollar judgment because we don't want to open the doors to others doing this.
WARREN McSHANE DECLARATION
30. I have read the Declaration of Warren McShane dated June 11, 1999. Mr. McShane's Declaration is false.
31. For example, Mr. McShane states that: RTC never purchased, acquired, assumed, or otherwise obtained any assets of defendant Church of Scientology of California ('CSP) as part of any corporate reorganization of the Church of Scientology or otherwise.
In fact, RTC obtained
trademarks that were registered in the name of CSC.
32. Mr. McShane's statement that: "RTC played no role of any kind
in the trial of this action" is also a fiction. Nothing could be
farther from the truth. Warren McShane, Vickie Aznaran and I constituted
all of the officers and members of the board of directors of RTC from
1983 through the end of 1986. Further, Lyman D. Spurlock and David Miscavige
were trustees of RTC from 1983 to 1986. All of us were present during
legal strategy sessions with the attorneys representing CSC during and
after the trial and at those meetings we formulated the strategy that
the lawyers were to employ at trial and to frustrate collection of the
judgment after it was rendered.
MANAGEMENT OF WOLLERSHEIM CASE BY CSI
33. For example,
at these legal strategy sessions it was determined to organize a unit
within CSI known as the Wolly Unit. The Wolly Unit was to supervise and
coordinate various aspects of the Wollersheim case such as intelligence
gathering; public relations, including the "Not One Thin Dime For
Wollersheim" Campaign; explaining to Church members Scientology's
version of the case and day to day supervision of the outside attorneys
handling the CSC case.
34. Another unit was also organized within CSI. This unit was called MFTC
for Mission Find The Crimes. The MFTC's unit was literally what the title
implies. MFTC members worked full time investigating any judge sitting
on the Wollersheim case, the judges' family and friends; the lawyers for
Wollersheim; their family and friends; any witnesses that the Wollersheim
attorneys might call at trial; and their families and friends. The job
of MFTC unit was to find any crimes, unethical behavior or embarrassing
information that might be used to Scientology's advantage. Mr. Wollersheim's
attorneys, Charlie O'Rielly and Lita Schlosser were followed on an almost
constant basis.
35. It was irrelevant to us if a legal strategy was pointless or had no
ultimate chance for success. As long as we could argue that the legal
strategy had a scintilla of colorable basis, we would demand that it be
pursued with the utmost vigor. We ordered the attorneys to tie up Mr.
Wollersheim's attorneys; tie up the court; delay the case; make the pursuit
of Mr. Wollersheim's claim as difficult as conceivably possible; force
the plaintiff to spend as much money as possible and make an example of
Mr. Wollersheim to show that no one can ever prevail against Scientology.
MISSION CORPORATE CATEGORY SORT OUT SHAM
36. In 1981, in response
to the Wollersheim case, and the IRS, Scientology created "Mission
Corporate Category Sort Out" ("MCCS"). On its face, to
the outside world, MCCS was designed to appear to separate corporate business
functions from ecclesiastic functions. Prior to this, all of Scientology
was under a hierarchy where defendant CSC was designated as the "Mother
Church" and all functions of Scientology came under the umbrella
of the "Mother Church."
37. The Mission Corporate Category Sort Out was a sham. It was a smoke
screen designed to put a phony corporate front on the Scientology management
structure to fool the IRS and to frustrate litigants so that they would
never be able to collect a judgment.
38. Scientology has no respect for the "Wog" or non-Scientology
legal system. It is merely a tool we could manipulate to destroy our enemies.
During the time I was an officer and director of RTC, we often destroyed
evidence. I have personal knowledge that this occurred in the Wollersheim
case because I participated in it. As far as Scientology was concerned,
we were above the law and we were perfectly free to use any means legal
or illegal, to manipulate and frustrate the legal system to our purposes.
39. Scientology always enjoyed a number of great advantages in any litigation
we were involved in including the Wollersheim case. These advantages included:
a . Scientology's opponents generally took their legal duties seriously, Scientology did not. For example, Scientology never felt obligated to produce documents it had in its possession even if a court ordered it to do so. The only way Scientology would produce documents was if the documents were worthless or damaging to Scientology's opponent. b. Scientology
set up a maze of phony corporate structures that Scientology opponents
had to negotiate. Scientology did not take these corporate structures
seriously, but demanded that it's opponents do so. e . If Scientology did not like what was going on in a particular court, we would just order the lawyer to file a lawsuit in another court to tie up the plaintiff and his lawyers on trumped up charges. This policy carried out L. Ron Hubbard's admonition: "NEVER BE INTERESTED IN CHARGES. DO, yourself, much MORE CHARGING and you will WIN." Further, these new lawsuits could be used as intelligence gathering operations to conduct discovery that the court that we did not like, would never let us conduct. |
40. Both before and
after the Wollersheim judgment, Scientology's Mission Corporate Sort Out
was designed to drain all the assets out of CSC and place them in other
corporations where they could not be touched by anyone who had a judgment
against CSC.
41. When the judgment was rendered in the Wollersheim case, I remember
that a shock wave went through the Scientology organization. Although
many of the assets had been drained off from CSC, there were still some
attachable assets that remained within CSC and were thus reachable by
Wollersheim's lawyers. CSC was quickly reduced to one room. Even furniture
was removed to other Scientology organizations. FREEDOM MAGAZINE, which
had always been housed in CSC, was transferred to CSI.
42. The Essential Strategy to make it impossible for the Wollersheim judgment
to be collected was formulated by CSC's attorney Earl Cooley and CSI attorney
Chris Cobb. David Miscavige and Lyman Spurlock then implanted a specific
plan to carry out the lawyers' scheme to make it impossible for Wollersheim
to collect his judgment.
43. CSC was stripped of all revenue streams, which were given to other
Scientology corporations and entities, including CSI. Any cash that was
left in CSC was used to pay bills, debts and settlements for all the other
Scientology corporations and entities. I specifically remember one meeting
at which we discussed the fact that despite our efforts to strip CSC of
attachable assets there was still 2.5 million dollars in cash left that
might be seized. It was determined that we had to find bills or debts
in other corporations that needed to be paid in order to relieve CSC of
this cash. This was done. Mark Ingber of WDC (Watch Dog Committee) reserves
in CSI was in charge of stripping CSC of its assets.
THE CSI AND RTC MOTION TO DISMISS
44. I have been informed
that RTC and CSI have recently moved to dismiss the Wollersheim case against
them on the basis of lathes. My understanding is that lathes is the legal
doctrine that is applied to bar someone's claim when they waited too long
to pursue the claim. A huge part of Scientology's legal strategy in the
Wollersheim case was to hide the fact that RTC and CSI were intimately
involved in the day-by-day direction of CSC's defense and to make the
case so complex, obtuse and expensive that no one would conceivably be
able to get past all the phony legal issues that Scientology was raising
to peal away the corporate layers and actually collect on the judgment.
45. If this case is dismissed on the basis of lathes, this cynical strategy
will indeed have defeated both Mr. Wollersheim and the entire non-Scientology
legal system.
46. I have not received
any compensation in any form for giving this declaration. I recognize
that by giving this declaration, I make myself a target for further attack
by Scientology, however, I am giving this declaration because it is the
truth and the right thing to do.
47. Attached hereto as Exhibit "A," is a true and correct copy
of a "Release" I entered into in 1992. The "Release"
gags me from ever speaking out regarding my knowledge of the activities
of Scientology. I signed Exhibit "A" under duress. I knew that
neither I nor my wife would ever be allowed to leave Scientology if I
did not sign this "Release." The contents of the "Release"
are simply false.
I declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Colorado that the foregoing is true and correct.
Executed this day
of June, 1999, at Boulder, Colorado
______________
JESSE PRINCE