Micron Document

SCI
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=== 1996–2000 — Florida: death of Lisa McPherson ===

When the Church was charged with a felony count of practicing medicine without a license in the 1996 case in connection with the 1995 death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson, Florida asked for damages of approximately $15,000 to be awarded against the organization. The Church hired law firms and medical specialists at an estimated cost of over $1 million, waging a defense that eventually resulted in the criminal charges being dismissed due to lack of credible evidence. In a separate civil case, the Church paid an undisclosed amount to settle a wrongful death suit brought on behalf of McPherson's estate.


=== 1997 — France: fraud ===
In a case in Lyons in 1997, six Scientologists were given suspended prison sentences for fraud.


=== 1998 — Switzerland: fraud and usury ===
In 1998, three Scientologists were convicted and jailed on fraud and usury charges after conning a member out of $80,000 for courses.


=== 1999 — France: fraud ===
In 1999, a Marseille court found five senior officials of the Church of Scientology guilty of fraud for "sham purification treatments" in Nice and Marseille. Xavier Delamare was sentenced to two years, partially deferred, and received a fine. Four others received suspended sentences of six months to two years, and two more were found not guilty.


=== 2009 — France: organized fraud ===
In 2009, a case went to trial in France, after a woman claims to have been pressured into paying €21,000 ($29,400) to the Church of Scientology for lessons, books and medicines for her poor mental state, accusing the Church of Scientology of "organised fraud". Her lawyers argue that the Church systematically seeks to make money through mental pressure and use scientifically dubious cures. Coincidentally, a large scale simplification of the laws in France occurred just prior to the beginning of the trial. Suspicion was raised as the new law revision forbids the dissolution of a legal entity, an unadvertised change among hundreds of others. Dissolution was the main sentence requested by the prosecutor against the Church of Scientology in this trial, becoming unlawful as the law changed. On October 27, 2009, a verdict was rendered: six members of the CoS in France, and the Church itself, were convicted of fraud. Four of these, including Alain Rosenberg, were given suspended prison sentences. The Scientology Celebrity Center in Paris, a Scientology bookstore, and all six individual convicts were ordered to pay fines. The plaintiff's request for dissolution of the Church was not fulfilled.


== Civil lawsuits against Scientology ==


=== 1993–1999 — England: Bonnie Woods libel litigation ===
Bonnie Woods, a former member who began counseling people involved with Scientology and their families, became a target along with her husband Richard in 1993 when the Church of Scientology started a leaflet operation denouncing her as a "hate campaigner" with demonstrators outside their home and around East Grinstead. She and her family were followed by a private investigator, and a creditor of theirs was located and provided free legal assistance to sue them into bankruptcy. After a long battle of libel suits, in 1999 the Church agreed in a settlement to issue an apology and pay £55,000 damages and £100,000 costs to the Woods.


=== 1995 — Canada: Hill v Church of Scientology of Toronto ===
In Hill v Church of Scientology of Toronto (1995), Justice Casey Hill, at that time a Crown attorney involved in the R. v. Church of Scientology of Toronto case, sued and won CAD$1,600,000 for libel, the largest libel damage award in Canadian history. During the case, it was shown that a file had been kept on him as an "Enemy Canada". In their decision, the Supreme Court of Canada found:

In this case, there was ample evidence upon which the jury could properly base their finding of aggravated damages. The existence of the file on Casey Hill under the designation "Enemy Canada" was evidence of the malicious intention of Scientology to "neutralize" him. The press conference was organized in such a manner as to ensure the widest possible dissemination of the libel. Scientology continued with the contempt proceedings although it knew its allegations were false. In its motion to remove Hill from the search warrant proceedings, it implied that he was not trustworthy and might act in those proceedings in a manner that would benefit him in his libel action. It pleaded justification or truth of its statement when it knew it to be false. It subjected Hill to a demeaning cross-examination and, in its address to the jury, depicted Hill as a manipulative actor.


=== 1997–2004 — Florida: wrongful death of Lisa McPherson ===

On May 29, 2004, the Church paid an undisclosed amount to settle a wrongful death suit brought on behalf of McPherson's estate. This was separate from the criminal case filed against the Church of Scientology by the State of Florida. In an article on the civil suit, it describes legal attacks made by Scientology's attorneys: