Lawrence Dominick Wollersheim is an American former

Scientologist Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious movement. The most recent published census data in ...

. He has been an active director of several specialized non-profit organizations since 2002. Wollersheim sued the Church of Scientology in 1980. The story of

Xenu Xenu (), also called Xemu, is a figure in the Church of Scientology's secret "Advanced Technology", a sacred and esoteric teaching. According to the "Technology", Xenu was the extraterrestrial ruler of a "Galactic Confederacy" who brought bil ...

was made public when Church materials detailing the

Operating Thetan In Scientology, Operating Thetan (OT) is a notional spiritual status above Clear. It is defined as "knowing and willing cause over life, thought, matter, energy, space and time (MEST)." According to religious scholar J. Gordon Melton, "It’s ...

Level 3 were used as exhibits. In Wollersheim's court case, Scientology's "top secret" materials about Xenu and their beliefs in past alien invasions of Earth was filed with the Los Angeles court on his behalf and then copied from court records and published by media all over the world. Wollersheim helped co-found Factnet.org in 1993, an organization whose stated goal is to help other victims of cult abuse. He is currently a director of FactNet.

Legal actions

In 1986, a jury awarded Wollersheim 5 million

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

compensatory damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...

and 25 million USD in

punitive damages Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are damages assessed in order to punish the defendant for outrageous conduct and/or to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. ...

for what jurors called

intentional Intentions are mental states in which the agent commits themselves to a course of action. Having the plan to visit the zoo tomorrow is an example of an intention. The action plan is the ''content'' of the intention while the commitment is the ''a ...

and negligent "infliction of emotional distress." On appeal this was reduced to 2.5 million USD.

Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a Scientology as a business, business, or a new religious movement. The most recent ...

officials vowed never to pay, and the phrase "not one thin dime for Wollersheim," was chanted by Scientologists at court hearings.Richard Leiby,
Ex-Scientologist Collects $8.7 Million In 22-Year-Old Case
" ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'', May 10, 2002. The church challenged the 2.5 million USD award, but the case was dismissed and Wollersheim was awarded an additional 130,506.71 USD in

attorney's fees Attorney's fee is a chiefly United States term for compensation for legal services performed by an attorney ( lawyer or law firm) for a client, in or out of court. It may be an hourly, flat-rate or contingent fee. Recent studies suggest that when ...

. s:Church of Scientology v. Wollersheim In 1997, Wollersheim's Boulder apartment was raided by federal marshals with Church of Scientology officials and his computers were seized as evidence. After over 20 years, the Church agreed to settle the case and pay an 8.7 million USD

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

on May 9, 2002. On October 28, 2005, the ''

Metropolitan News-Enterprise ''Metropolitan News-Enterprise'', also known as ''MetNews'' or ''Met News'', is a small daily legal newspaper published in Los Angeles, California. History The ''Enterprise'' newspaper was founded in 1901 and the ''Metropolitan News'' in 1945. ...

'', a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

daily legal publication, reported that the Wollersheim case was ongoing and a trial was forthcoming regarding the claim. It said that his attorney had received 100,000 USD, but she was suing for more. On December 8, 2006, Wollersheim won the case on appeal, as the plaintiff lacked an enforceable lien under the

Rules of Professional Conduct The American Bar Association's Model Rules of Professional Conduct (MRPC) are a set of rules and commentaries on the ethical and professional responsibilities of members of the legal profession in the United States. Although the MRPC generally is ...

FACTNet

In 1993, he co-founded

Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network, also known as FACTNet, co-founded by Robert Penny and Lawrence Wollersheim, was a Colorado-based Anti-cult movement, anti-cult organization with the stated aim of educating and facilitating communication ab ...

(FACTNet or F.A.C.T.Net) with Bob Penny.''Net.wars''
Wendy Grossman; NYU Press, 1997 page 83

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wollersheim, Lawrence American former Scientologists Critics of Scientology Scientology and law Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Scientology and the Internet American whistleblowers