Activist speaks against Church of Scientology
Abby Greenberg - DFP Staff

A retired economist who donated $100,000 to the legal cause of a woman who died under the care of Scientologists said last night he has come under fire for making such contributions.

Speaking to a Boston University graduate class on legal ethics, Robert Minton claimed members of the Church of Scientology have picketed his house and spoken to neighbors, allegedly looking for background information on him.

Minton has taken up the cause of Lisa McPherson, a woman who died in 1995 after a 17-day stay at the Scientology headquarters in Clearwater, Fla. Minton has given about $100,000 toward a wrongful death suit. In addition, Florida prosecutors are considering criminal charges. They claim McPherson was denied water for the last five to 10 days of her life and died of dehydration. When she became fatally ill, church members at the headquarters chose to take her to a hospital 45 minutes away where a Scientologist was on call rather than to two other hospitals within 20 minutes.

Scientologists believe that people accumulate traumas throughout several lifetimes. Members must attend special sessions aimed at alleviating the traumas; the church has often been criticized for charging exorbitant fees for the sessions.

Minton has contributed $1.25 million to the McPherson case and others like it. He said the Church of Scientology often crushes legal opponents who do not have the money to pay for substantial representation.

"The Church of Scientology has a reputation for going into court and being real bulldogs," Minton said.

Minton said the United States should espouse policies like those in Germany, which watches Scientology with a wary eye.

"They can recognize a totalitarian group better than many other countries," Minton said.

Germany's skeptical policies toward Scientologists made it back into the news recently after George Magazine quoted actor John Travolta, a Scientologist, as saying President Clinton promised to help ease the treatment of the organization there.

Minton became involved in the crusade against Scientology in 1995 when he learned that the church was allegedly conduction raids on private homes. The group wanted to confiscate computers of former members who were publishing the organization's scriptures on the Internet, Minton said.

He didn't initially question the organization's beliefs but was instead concerned that leaders might be trying to silence critics, Minton said.

"I decided to step in there and help people being victimized by the Church of Scientology and the legal system who are incapable of fighting back," Minton said.

But that involvement has led to a personal attack against him, he said. Minton claims Scientologists have contacted his family, friends and former business associates in an attempt to find dirt on him.

Members even picketed his house and questioned his neighbors, about any criminal activities he might have been involved in, Minton said.

" I would essentially like to see a number of vigorous reforms within the Church of Scientology, " Minton said.