Preti Flaherty Files Human Trafficking and Forced Labor Lawsuit Against Church of Scientology

Preti Flaherty attorneys Greg Hansel, Shana Solomon, and Ellie Quinby filed a human trafficking and forced labor lawsuit against the Church of Scientology on behalf of three plaintiffs claiming decades of forced labor, intimidation, coercion, surveillance, and systematic abuse.

The plaintiffs are three individuals who were raised in Scientology as early as six years old and forced to work in Scientology’s Sea Org and Cadet Org, providing unpaid and extremely low-paid labor.  The filing details the horrific mistreatment the plaintiffs endured under the control of Scientology, including separation from their families as defenseless minors; confiscation of their identification documents; dangerous manual labor conditions; exploitation, indoctrination and manipulation; and physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.

“The exploitation, abuse, and isolation from their families that our clients endured from an early age in Scientology is traumatic and has profound impacts on these individuals,” says Preti Flaherty attorney Greg Hansel. “The Church of Scientology must be held to justice.”

The groundbreaking lawsuit is an effort to assist the plaintiffs in holding the Church of Scientology and its leader David Miscavige accountable for violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). The suit also names the Church of Scientology International Religious Technology Center (RTC), International Association of Scientologists Administrations (IASA), Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc., and Church of Scientology Flag Ship Service Organization, Inc. as defendants.

The plaintiffs are represented by Preti Flaherty, Kohn Swift, Cohen Milstein, and Warren A. Zimmerman, P.A.