What major lawsuits against the Church of Scientology are currently pending and what do their filings allege?
Executive summary
Three high-profile civil actions against the Church of Scientology and its leaders are currently prominent in reporting: a multi‑plaintiff civil harassment suit that plaintiffs seek to expand with RICO and racketeering claims tied to the Danny Masterson matter, a federal human‑trafficking and forced‑labor lawsuit brought by three former members, and a separate anonymous Jane Doe suit alleging sexual abuse and a forced marriage; filings in these cases allege systemic concealment, harassment, forced labor, and a pattern of criminal enterprise activity [1] [2] [3]. Background context is that litigation involving Scientology is long‑running and varied—both defensive and offensive suits have characterized the organization’s legal posture for decades [4] [5].
1. The harassment suit seeking RICO: plaintiffs allege a “criminal enterprise” that hid Danny Masterson’s abuse
A group of former members who sued in 2019 for civil harassment and intimidation have moved to add a second amended complaint that would assert Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) claims, arguing the Church “routinely and systematically” engaged in fraud, human trafficking, identity theft and money‑laundering to enrich leadership and conceal misconduct, and that the Church actively concealed actor Danny Masterson’s alleged rapes and then harassed his accusers [1] [6]. The amended pleading, filed Dec. 27, 2023 according to reporting, frames David Miscavige as the alleged leader of the enterprise and seeks to link aggressive harassment campaigns and concealment of complaints to a pattern of racketeering activity; the case is calendared toward a September 22, 2025 trial date as reported [6] [1]. The Church and its affiliates have contested these allegations and repeatedly sought dismissal or procedural wins; press coverage shows rulings narrowing some claims while leaving harassment and related torts alive [7] [8].
2. Baxter, Paris and others: a federal human‑trafficking and forced‑labor suit
In federal court a trio of former Scientology workers—Gawain Baxter, Laura Baxter and Valeska Paris—filed a TVPRA (Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act) and forced‑labor complaint in April 2022, naming David Miscavige and multiple Scientology corporate entities and alleging they were raised and exploited inside the organization, forced into work from childhood and subjected to peonage and other trafficking offenses [2] [9]. Cohen Milstein, counsel for the plaintiffs, has characterized the complaint as “groundbreaking,” and a magistrate judge in early 2023 found evidence the organization had attempted to evade personal service on Miscavige, declaring him served after an extended dispute about his whereabouts [2]. The complaint seeks to hold leadership and corporate vehicles civilly liable under federal trafficking and forced‑labor statutes [2] [9].
3. Anonymous Jane Doe: allegations of sexual abuse and coerced marriage in Los Angeles court
A separate lawsuit filed in Los Angeles accuses a church official of sexually assaulting a minor and then coercing the victim into a forced marriage; a judge ruled in October 2024 that the plaintiff may proceed anonymously to protect her identity [3]. The complaint names individual defendants alongside Church entities and David Miscavige, and the court’s anonymity ruling underscores the sensitivity and ongoing nature of that litigation and the contested factual narratives—reports note family members still aligned with Scientology have disputed the allegations [3].
4. The Church’s posture and the broader litigation history
Scientology’s litigation footprint is enormous and historically includes thousands of suits both filed and defended; the organization has in past decades aggressively litigated press, critics, and governments while simultaneously defending against claims from former members [4] [5]. In recent years the Church has scored procedural wins and fought venue and judge assignments—as when a judge was disqualified in the Remini case after a challenge involving David Miscavige’s status—and it has successfully obtained First Amendment‑based rulings that trimmed aspects of some plaintiffs’ claims even while leaving others to proceed [8] [7]. Reporting shows both plaintiffs and defense counsel continuing to litigate aggressively, and plaintiffs are seeking to expand theories (e.g., RICO) that would recast decades of disputes as coordinated criminal activity [1] [6].
5. What the filings chiefly allege and what remains unresolved
Taken together the active filings allege a constellation of wrongdoing: civil harassment and coordinated campaigns to silence and intimidate critics and accusers; concealment of sexual‑abuse reports; forced labor and trafficking of persons raised in the organization; and pervasive fraud and money‑moving schemes to enrich leadership—claims plaintiffs say are proven through patterns of conduct and internal practices [1] [2] [9]. Court rulings to date have resolved some procedural and free‑speech issues in the Church’s favor while allowing core harassment, trafficking and abuse claims to continue; whether RICO theories survive, and how liability will be allocated across individuals and corporate entities, remain central unresolved legal questions in the pending dockets [7] [6].