Norton Stanley Karno (* 29. June 1936)
[ is best known as an attorney for the ]Church of Scientology
The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a scientology as a business, bu ...
and its founder L. Ron Hubbard
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986) was an American author, primarily of science fiction and fantasy stories, who is best known for having founded the Church of Scientology. In 1950, Hubbard authored '' Dianetic ...
in the 1960s and 1970s, and whose name figures prominently in Scientology's history.[The Karno Files]
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Karno is also well known as an active real estate investor. According to an article in the Colorado newspaper ''Daily Camera'':
Karno or one of his corporations owns more than 500 pieces of real estate nationwide, including seven parcels in Boulder County, Colorado.[Clint Talbott, "Evidence? None, Nada", ''The Daily Camera'', February 5, 2002.]
Karno is associated with the California firm of Karno, Schwartz & Friedman [http://www.lawyers.com/California/Encino/Karno-Schwartz-and-Friedman-94949-f.html. ]
Hubbard's will
The 1979 version of Hubbard's Last Will and Testament named Karno as Executor:
...I nominate and appoint Norton S. Karno as Executor of this Will. Should Norton S. Karno be deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to act as Executor, then I nominate and appoint Michael M. Smith as Executor of this Will.
I acknowledge that I have been informed and am advised that a conflict of interest may exist as to Norton S. Karno in his capacity as Personal Representative hereunder and in his capacity as a general partner of a partnership in which I may have an interest at my death. I understand that Norton S. Karno could favour the partnership over the estate, and vice versa, which could prejudice the rights of the other. In view of the foregoing, I hereby waive any conflict of interest that may result in Norton S. Karno's service in the aforementioned capacities.[robertodiaz.org]
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Guardian's Office
During Scientology's days of the Guardian's Office, Norton Karno wrote a letter to the GO's David Gaiman
David Bernard Gaiman (10 June 1933 – 7 March 2009) was a British businessman and head of the UK branch of Church of Scientology. He and his wife Sheila joined Scientology in the early 1960s and Gaiman served as public relations director and w ...
, complaining that Hubbard was receiving no money from the Church of Scientology. Shortly thereafter, Karno was taken off Hubbard's will to be replaced by Norman Starkey
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
as Executor.[
Karno, along with fellow attorneys ]Meade Emory
Meade may refer to:
Geographic placenames
* Meade Glacier, Washington, US
* Meade Island, Western Australia
* Meade River, Alaska, US
Populated places or administrative divisions
* Meade, Kansas
* Meade, Ohio
* Meade County, Kansas
* Meade Co ...
, James Q. Fisher, and Sherman and Stephen Lenske were reportedly involved in the Church's battle against the Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...
during Operation Snow White.
Digital Lightwave
In 1997, Karno was the second biggest stakeholder in Digital Lightwave, a Scientology-related company in Clearwater, Florida
Clearwater is a city located in Pinellas County, Florida, United States, northwest of Tampa and St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies Tampa Bay. As of the 2020 census, the city had a populat ...
, during their initial public offering.["The CEO and his Church", Deborah O'Neill and Jeff Harrington, ''St.Petersburg Times'', June 2, 200]
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See also
*Scientology and the legal system
The Church of Scientology has been involved in court disputes in several countries. In some cases, when the Church has initiated the dispute, questions have been raised as to its motives. The Church of Scientology says that its use of the legal sy ...
*Scientology versus The Internet
There are a number of disputes concerning the Church of Scientology's attempts to suppress material critical of Scientology on the Internet, utilizing various methods primarily lawsuits and legal threats, as well as front organizations. In la ...
Notes
External links
Norton S. Karno representing CSC and GO vs. IRS: First known involvement of Norton S. Karno with Scientology organizations
Digital Lightwave S-1 shareholders
Brian Haney v Bryan Zwan, Case No. C2-97-1218 United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Eastern Division
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karno, Norton S.
Living people
California lawyers
Scientology and law
Year of birth missing (living people)