Jul 14, 2024

Former cult leader Natasha Lakaev loses libel case appeal

Benjamin Seeder
The Examiner
July 12, 2024

Accused former cult leader Natasha Lakaev has failed in her bid to overturn the findings of her marathon libel trial against one of her former members, Carli McConkey.

Ms Lakaev, who headed the Universal Knowledge organisation throughout the 2000s, launched libel proceedings against Ms McConkey following the publication of her book, 'The Cult Effect', in 2017.

In it, Ms McConkey detailed her experience of living as a Universal Knowledge member over a [13]-year period, and described the organisation as a "doomsday cult" that abused its members and prophesied the end of the world in 2011 or 2012.

During the trial, Ms Lakaev's lawyer Daniel Zeeman claimed that the book and other articles Ms McConkey published online improperly impugned her as a criminal, a bully, a fraudster and as someone that indoctrinated people into a cult.

Ms Lakaev denied the allegations in the book and articles, but in March this year, Justice Stephen Estcourt found that all 16 of Ms McConkey's imputations were either true or substantially true.

Ms Lakaev later appealed the decision, claiming that Justice Estcourt erred in his decision by finding that four of the imputations in Ms McConkey's book were truthful.

Former Universal Knowledge member Carli McConkey defended herself during the libel trial. 

In his reasons for decision released on Friday, July 12, Supreme Court Chief Justice Alan Blow ruled there was little chance of Ms Lakaev's appeal grounds succeeding.

"Nothing in the appellant's written or oral submissions suggests to me that a challenge to any particular one of the 16 findings would have any obvious merit," Justice Blow wrote.

He dismissed the appeal due to lack of prosecution - meaning that Ms Lakaev had not properly filed her appeal documentation and had failed to move her appeal application forward.

Ms Lakaev, for the most part, represented herself during the appeal.
During the case, it emerged that she owed her former lawyer, Mr Zeeman, over $100,000 in connection to her marathon libel trial.

The appeal court heard that her new lawyer had been unable to obtain court documents from Mr Zeeman, who was holding them as a solicitor's lien until the fees owed were paid.

Ms Lakaev later told the court that she would represent herself during the appeal after learning that the case would cost $500,000.

In the appeal hearing in May, Ms Lakaev sought a delay in proceedings for six months and also claimed that her trial had been bungled by Mr Zeeman.

She alleged he failed to call a key witness that might have changed the outcome of the case.

During the libel trial, which stretched over months in 2023 and early 2024, the court heard testimony that Ms Lakaev claimed to be a reincarnation of Jesus Christ as well as one of 12 members of the 'Intergalactic Council of the Universe'.

The court also heard testimony that Ms Lakaev's organisation had prophesied the end of the world in 2011 or 2012 and had offered courses to followers that taught them how to survive the end of times by switching dimensions.

Followers paid tens of thousands of dollars to access various courses, were subject to abuse and were exposed to gay pornography, the trial heard.

https://www.examiner.com.au/story/8693602/accused-cult-leader-natasha-lakaev-loses-defamation-appeal/

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