In a lawsuit filed in the California Superior Court on Wednesday, actress Leah Remini claims that the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, have harassed, defamed and harmed her in ways that have impacted both her personal and professional life — seeking compensatory and punitive damages from the organization she was a part of between 1979 and 2013.
In a statement obtained from Variety, Remini addresses the suit saying, "For 17 years, Scientology and David Miscavige have subjected me to what I believe to be psychological torture, defamation, surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, significantly impacting my life and career. I believe I am not the first person targeted by Scientology and its operations, but I intend to be the last." In terms of her goal, she goes on to say that the lawsuit is an attempt to, "require Scientology, and any entity it controls and funds, to cease and desist its alleged practice of harassment, defamation, and other unlawful conduct against anyone who Scientology has labeled as an 'enemy."
"With this lawsuit, I hope to protect my rights as afforded by the Constitution of the United States to speak the truth and report the facts about Scientology," Remini furthered. "I feel strongly that the banner of religious freedom does not give anyone license to intimidate, harass and abuse those who exercise their First Amendment rights."
Update: The Church of Scientology provided the following statement the day after news broke of Remini's lawsuit. Read it in full here.
