Timeline Exhibit December 9, 1997

Retired investment banker, Scientologists take aim at each other

By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press

Tuesday, December 09, 1997

BOSTON - A millionaire claims the Church of Scientology intimidates its detractors and prescribed medical techniques that he says killed one member. Church members say the millionaire is using “KKK-style” tactics to discredit the church.

Robert Minton has put $1.25 million into helping those fighting the church. He calls it an exercise of his First Amendment rights.

Members of the Church of Scientology have paid for a private investigator to dig into Minton’s private life and threatened to sue him in six states. They call it chasing a rat out of his hole.

A lawyer who has been involved in such attacks - both against and on behalf of religions - said such disputes can go on for years and become very emotional.

“Sometimes reason seems to evaporate,” said Lee Boothby, a Washington, D.C.-based church state lawyer.

“All of the very new and small religious groups that feel threatened tend to become very aggressive. The problem of it is, where will it end. I don’t know if I see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Scientology, a religion founded on the writings of L. Ron Hubbard, has 700 centers in 65 countries. In 1991, Time Magazine estimated its membership at 50,000 members.

Scientologists have long complained the German government discriminates against them. They compare their treatment to Nazi harassment of Jews in the 1930s.

Boothby doesn’t disagree with the analogy.

“When you get to Eastern and Central Europe, where they’re passing restrictive legislation, the ones who suffer are not just new, new religions. Presbyterians in the Soviet Union have been evicted by property owned by government. Baptists have been prevented from holding public meetings. There, Baptists, Presbyterians and Lutherans are cults.”

Minton’s clash with the Scientologists began a few years ago when he was web surfing at his home in the historic Beacon Hill section of Boston.

While observing the news group, Minton took notice of the case of Dennis Erlich, a former Scientologist who had put copyrighted Scientology material on the Internet.

“They obtained an ex parte writ and invaded his home,” said Minton. “The cops and their lawyers carted away all this man’s computer equipment.”

Minton said he was appalled by the tactics used by Scientologists to violate their own members’ civil rights.

He contributed $5,000 to Erlich’s defense fund.

Earlier this year, he contributed $100,000 to plaintiffs in a wrongful death suit in Clearwater, Florida alleging the church caused the death of 36-year-old Lisa McPherson by holding her against her will and denying her care. Minton said he donated the funds to McPherson’s estate because Scientologists had a formidable defense team; he has also pledged another $250,000 to help finance the suit.

Minton said he’d let the Clearwater police decide if the Scientologists killed McPherson.

“Certainly L. Ron Hubbard’s medical techniques, which he prescribed Scientologists to follow, killed Lisa McPherson,” he said.

Two months ago, Minton bought a $260,000 home near Seattle for two former Scientologists who have testified against the church. The couple claim their landlord evicted them after Scientology officials pressured him to do so.

“Who’s behind this guy?” said Kendrick Moxon, an attorney for the Church of Scientology. “The man is going to be sued because he has committed torts all over the country and I want to know why is he trying to destroy religion and create chaos.”

Kurt Weiland, a Los Angeles-based spokesman for the Scientologists, accused Minton of “covertly funding, and in this way, manipulating litigation.”

Members of the Boston-area branch of the church passed out flyers on Beacon Hill last Friday, denouncing Minton. “This week he is leading a KKK-style rally against peaceful members of a religion,” read the flyer.

The flyer referred to Minton’s attendance at a rally outside a courthouse in Clearwater, Fla., marking the two-year anniversary of McPherson’s death.

Weiland admitted the group’s lawyers had hired at least one private investigator to look into Minton’s private life.

“If it takes five to get to the bottom of it to find out what are the hidden motives of this man, I will gladly endorse our lawyers to hire five.”

Boothby views all that litigation with dismay. “There’s more heat than light,” he said. “It tends to generate more heat on both sides than is useful.”