Could Marsy's Law foil Scientology's attempt to force rape victims into 'arbitration'? - 2020-10-22

Could Marsy's Law foil Scientology's attempt to force rape victims into 'arbitration'? October 22, 2020, Tony Ortega, Underground Bunker

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Another big day looms in the lawsuit filed by Danny Masterson's rape accusers against the actor and the Church of Scientology, and it turns out that a question raised by one of our own commenters here at the Underground Bunker might actually have some effect on it.

Five people are suing Masterson, Scientology, and Scientology's leader David Miscavige over what they allege has been a campaign of harassment since the women came forward in 2016 and 2017 to the LAPD with allegations that they were violently raped by the That '70s Show actor in incidents that occurred between 2001 and 2004. They first filed the lawsuit in August 2019, and on June 16 Masterson was charged criminally with raping three of the women and is facing 45 years to life in prison. He's scheduled to be arraigned on November 2 and has indicated he plans to enter a not guilty plea.

Masterson's early attempt to derail the lawsuit failed when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steven Kleifield overruled Masterson's demurrer two weeks ago. But Scientology's big play, as it has been in other lawsuits, is to try and force the four plaintiffs who were members of the church — Chrissie Carnell Bixler, her husband Cedric Bixler-Zavala, and two women going by the names Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2 — into "religious arbitration."

Wikipedia cite:

{{cite news | author = Tony Ortega | title = Could Marsy's Law foil Scientology's attempt to force rape victims into 'arbitration'? | url = https://tonyortega.org/2020/10/22/could-marsys-law-foil-scientologys-attempt-to-force-rape-victims-into-arbitration/ | work = Underground Bunker | date = October 22, 2020 | accessdate = October 24, 2020 }}