Plaintiff in 'forced marriage' lawsuit against Church of Scientology can remain anonymous

LOS ANGELES (CN) — A woman suing the Church of Scientology on claims of sexual abuse that occurred when she was a minor will remain unnamed, after a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge denied a motion to publicly name her.

Jane Doe says she was groomed and sexually assaulted by a then-26-year-old man, Gavin Potter — a recruiter for Sea Org, an elite unit within the church — when she was 16 years old. Doe says in her complaint that when church officials learned of the incident, she and Potter were given a choice: be assigned to a work camp for misbehaving Sea Org members or get married.

“That same day, Jane Doe’s ‘Port Captain’ arranged for Jane Doe, Gavin Potter, and Jane Doe’s mother to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, to complete the marriage,” Jane Doe wrote in the complaint. “After the brief ceremony, the group immediately returned to Los Angeles, and Jane Doe went back to work.”

Doe is suing Potter, the Church of Scientology and the church’s leader, David Miscavige.

In July, the Church of Scientology submitted a written declaration by the plaintiff’s mother, Ruth Speidel, who is still a member of the church. Speidel called her daughter’s complaint “a work of fiction,” adding, “She was deeply in love with Gavin.”

Speidel claims that it was she herself who planned not one but two weddings, the first in Las Vegas for legal purposes, the second a “lavish” wedding in Los Angeles 2 1/2 months later at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, with 350 guests in attendance. Speidel went on to accuse her daughter of abandoning her daughter, of leading a “wild, promiscuous life,” of leaving her husband and marrying another Scientologist, and at one point stealing $10,000 worth of Speidel’s jewelry.

Potter had filed the motion for the plaintiff’s real name to be publicly revealed and used in court filings.

“Why do you want the public to know who this person is, when you already know who it is?” LA County Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazile asked during Thursday’s hearing.

“There’s an insinuation that the Jane Doe is a victim,” said Potter’s lawyer Daniel Reback, a partner at Krane & Smith. “She has named her ex-husband, my client. She’s accusing my client of slanderous allegations that she says happened 30 years ago. She names my client by name. She did not have to do that. He’s been subject to public ridicule. It’s simply unfair.”

The judge disagreed, saying that nothing about allowing the plaintiff to remain anonymous was prejudicial to the defendants, and he denied the motion.

But the defendants did score one legal point when Brazile agreed to allow them to depose one of Doe’s former attorneys, Brian Kent, who has represented other former Scientologists.

“We have reason to believe Mr. Kent also asked his former Scientology clients to delete their text messages with him,” said Scientology lawyer Bill Forman, a partner at Winston & Strawn. “We think the Brian Kent thing is a possible fraud on the court.”

Plaintiff’s attorney John Kucera, a partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, dismissed the claims against Kent as “yet another sideshow” and said he had no problem with them deposing Kent. “We’re happy to go to discovery. Let’s get to discovery on the entire case,” he added.

The case is currently stayed pending a motion by the church to compel religious arbitration — that is, for the case to be sent to an arbitration process controlled by the church. The motion was set to be heard in April and a previous judge had published a tentative ruling denying the motion, finding Doe had been pressured into signing the arbitration agreement. But at the last minute, David Miscavige’s lawyer, in his first appearance in the case, filed a motion to remove the judge, who agreed to step down. Brazile has not heard the old motion to compel arbitration.

“Everything that is being done here is an effort to delay, to allow Scientology and their ilk to harass my client,” said Kucera.

An agitated Forman called the claim “completely baseless,” adding, “I’ve heard Mr. Kucera’s personal insults time and time again.”

Miscavige’s lawyer Alex Weingarten, a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, added, “The performative theater here needs to stop.”

Brazile also gave the defendants permission to depose the plaintiff on the limited issue of Kent, her old attorney. The plaintiffs are not allowed to conduct any discovery without filing a motion first.

A trial date for the case has not been set, but the judge indicated that it would likely be held in late 2027 or early 2028, unless it goes to arbitration.

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