TV Line
August 2, 2023
Actress Leah Remini is suing the Church of Scientology citing a laundry list of alleged grievances.
According to documents obtained by The Blast, Remini’s lawsuit stems from “civil harassment, stalking, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.” The King of Queens star also claims the church has “undertaken a campaign to ruin and destroy” her life and livelihood.
TVLine has reached out to Remini’s camp for comment.
The court documents describe the actress as “a former Scientologist of nearly 40 years, a two-time Emmy-award winning producer, actress and New York Times best-selling author” who was “deemed a Suppressive Person and declared Fair Game by Scientology in 2014 when she publicly departed Scientology, a Suppressive Act as laid out by Scientology directives.”
The documents continue, claiming she was “stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened, intimidated, and moreover, has been the victim of intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors via hundreds of Scientology-controlled and -coordinated social media accounts that exist solely to intimidate and spread misinformation.”
She also alleges that the Church of Scientology has “incessantly harassed, threatened, intimidated and embarrassed Ms. Remini’s family members, friends, colleagues and business associates, causing her to lose personal relationships, business contracts and other business opportunities,” which is causing her “significant and ongoing economic harm” and “preventing her from exercising her First Amendment right and moral duty to speak out about Scientology’s conduct.”
Remini’s contentious relationship with Scientology is well-documented. In 2016, she produced an A&E docuseries titled Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, which told stories from her experience in the church from 1979 to 2013.
“This series is about sharing the truth about Scientology,” said Remini in a statement at the time of its release. “For too long, this multibillion-dollar organization bullied victims and journalists to prevent the truth being told. It is my hope that we shed light on information that makes the world aware of what is really going on and encourages others to speak up so the abuses can be ended forever. I hope that people who have left now feel they have a safe place to go. I hope others who have also experienced abuses will come forward and help us to do something about it.”
The series ran for three seasons and produced 37 episodes, earning five Emmy nominations and two wins.
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