Scientology pays 8.7 million to former Scientologist
May 13, 2002
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitunggel. Washington, May 12. After 22 years of legal dispute, a former member of the "Scientology" organization has now received almost 8.7 million dollars from the organization. Lawrence Wollersheim, the 53 year old complainant from Nevada who had become a member of Scientology in 1969 and who left the organization after having paid them 150,000 dollars, had successfully sued "Scientology" in the 1980s for psychological abuse. During the course of his membership in Scientology he had been subjected to "brainwashing" on the Scientology founder Ron Hubbert's [sic] ship. The numerous courts, all the way up the United States Supreme Court in 1994, apparently had no doubt that the abuses had happened, but the amount of damages to be paid has gone up and down. Wollersheim's attorney accused "Scientology" of dragging out the legal dispute to financially ruin the complainant and thereby to scare off other former "Scientology" members from initiating lawsuits.
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"Scientology" digs deep into its pockets
May 15, 2002
http://www.dolomiten.itLos Angeles (dpa) The Psycho-Cult nearly drove the man to suicide, and now they have had to pay for it. 8.6 million dollars (9.4 million euro) is what the Scientology Chuch of California handed over to a former member. With that, the organization ended years of legal dispute with their former member Lawrence Wollersheim (53). That man had joined the organization in 1969. According to his testimony, he was detained on board a ship off the California coast for 18 hours a day without being able to take advantage of medical help. An appeals court determined that Wollersheim's psychic state had deteriorated enough that he considered suicide an option, and that the (Scientology) church's conduct was outrageous. The organization at first was told to pay 25 million dollars, but the sum was later reduced.
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