February 12 and 14, 1997
Ms. Cathy Norman
Church of Scientology of Texas
Austin, TX 78705 |
By Fax at 512/474-2986
Hard copy to follow:
Certified Mail RRR |
Re: Norman/Branch letter dated October 21, 1996 and
a dead agent document ("da doc") of May 10, 1993.
Dear Ms. Norman:
This letter is written on behalf of my
friend
and neighbor,
Gerald Armstrong. The professional advice given to him by me, as
reflected hereinafter, represents my best judgments and resulting
conclusions on the facts made known and perceived by me.
The judgments and conclusions reached were
formed
after rea-
sonable inquiry that the allegations made are grounded in fact and
warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the
extension, modification, or reversal of law existing in one or more
jurisdictions.
On the same bases, and further consistency
with
Fed.R.Civ.
P. Rule 11 please be advised that, to the best of my knowledge,
information and belief the actions demanded of you and your
associates are imposed for entirely proper purposes.
You have caused to be transmitted to Craig
Branch
of the
Watchman Fellowship a letter dated October 21, 1996 and a "dead
agent document" (herein, sometimes "da doc") dated 10-May-1993,
both of which concern Gerald Armstrong and recently received by
him. Your letter states that you earlier provided that same da doc
to James Walker, also of the Watchman Fellowship.
I am copying the Church of Scientology
International,
the
Religious Technology Center and Scientology's leader David
Miscavige because the da doc originated with them. These materials
individually and together defame Mr. Armstrong. They contain
distortions and lies known to you and your seniors to be
distortions and lies, and were created and distributed with malice.
Separately and collectively, they constitute libel per se.
Telephone (702) 782-
2302
* Fax (702) 782-8362
2245-B Meridian Boulevard (at Airport Road) * P.O. Box 98* Minden, Nevada
89423-0098
Ms. Cathy Norman
February 14, 1997 |
PageTwo |
I represent Mr. Armstrong in his effort to
correct
the wrong
done by you, your associates, and your seniors with and through
your letter and the subject "dead agent document."
As you and your seniors know, Mr. Armstrong
is an expert in
the subject of fair game and in the fraudulent representations and
history of Scientology. As you know, his testimony has been used
in many lawsuits involving people who have been defrauded or "fair
gamed" by your organization. Your letter and the da doc are
intended to have the effect of destroying Mr. Armstrong's
credibility and character and his ability to testify on behalf of
fraud and fair game victims.
Another intended effect of these defamatory
materials outside
of the legal arena is to cause Mr. Armstrong to be rejected by
people. As you know, Watchman Fellowship is a Christian research
and apologetics organization, and Mr. Armstrong is a fellow
believer. Your da doc was also used within the Scientology
organization to cause Mr. Armstrong to be wrongly reviled and
attacked by Scientologists.
Mr. Armstrong is distressed by this latest
incident
in your
organization's black propaganda campaign. He believes that as long
as Scientology continues to fabricate and tell lies about him he is
in danger. He wants all of Scientology's fair game activities to
end so that he can obtain the peace he and others are due.
The subject da doc was not included in the
set
of dead agent
packs on Mr. Armstrong produced by Scientology in discovery in its
litigations against him. For this reason I am copying Mr.
Armstrong's former attorney Ford Greene so that he may take
whatever action, if any, he may deem appropriate concerning
Scientology's withholding of this document.
Demand is hereby made that every document of
any kind under
the control of any individual staff member or agent of any
Scientology corporation or other entity, including all electronic
records, pertaining in any way to Mr. Armstrong, be segregated,
made safe and not destroyed or altered, nor removed from their
present premises.
I have advised Mr. Armstrong that he is free
to communicate
orally, in writing or by any other legal medium available to him to
Ms. Cathy Norman
February 14, 1997 |
Page Three |
fully correct the lies and distortions in your letter and dead
agent document. I have advised him that he is free to communicate
to anyone he believes may have been or may be exposed to this black
PR, and that he is free to explain why Scientology and its leaders
have created and distributed these documents.
I have further advised Mr. Armstrong that
Scientology
cannot
legally prevent him from correcting this libel with threatened
enforcement of your organization 's "settlement agreement" of
December, 1986. Each moment you and your seniors prevent him from
telling the truth to whomever he chooses in rejection of your
documents' attack on his character you are increasing his damages.
I demand, on his behalf, that you and your
seniors
immediately
publish a full retraction of each and every lie and distortion in
these documents. I further demand that you and your seniors
immediately provide me with a complete list of each and every
person, agency, organization or other entity inside or outside of
Scientology to whom this da document was at any time given or
shown. Since this document was apparently created in 1993, it was
not created for the purpose of sending to Mr. Branch and Mr. Walker
in 1996, but for a far wider distribution.
Finally this is a demand for $900,003.00 to
compensate Mr.
Armstrong for the damage you and your organization have done — up
to the date of this demand — by the writing and dissemination of
your letter and this da doc to the Watchman Fellowship.
If an understanding cannot be reached, and
correction
of this
situation cannot be achieved, Mr. Armstrong is prepared to file a
lawsuit for, inter alia, defamation, intentional infliction of
emotional distress, and civil rights violations against you and all
other persons, organizations or entities who participated in the
writing and dissemination. He is prepared, also, to file a
parallel and complementary action pursuant to the provisions of the
Racketeering and Corrupt Influences Act.
I trust that you and your seniors will do
the
right thing.
| |
Very truly yours,
[signed George W. Abbott]
George W. Abbott
|
cc: Page following
Ms. Cathy Norman
February 14, 1997 |
Page Four |
cc: Ford Greene, Esquire
cc: Church of Scientology International
cc: Religious Technology Center
cc: David Miscavige
Ford Greene, Esquire
711 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Church of Scientology International
6331 Hollywood Boulevard, Ste. 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Religious Technology Center
1710 Ivar Avenue, Ste. 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90028
David Miscavige
1710 Ivar Avenue, Ste. 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90028