Law Offices of GARY S. SOTER
Ms. Nancy Dubuc January 2, 2017 Page 2
• On December 25, the Washington Post wrote: “In a statement released on Christmas Eve, an A&E spokesman said the network learned that the show’s producers - from a third-party production company - made cash payments to “facilitate access” to participants, which violates A&E policy... Though some reality TV producers do pay their subjects, the network emphasized that it is against this practice for documentaries.” (emphasis added)
• On December 28, Variety wrote: “A&E declined to comment to Variety on whether participants in ‘Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath’ were paid - other than Remini, who is an executive producer on the docuseries. But, an insider close to the network tells Variety that even if participants were paid, financial payments would be common practice for participants in a television docuseries.” (emphasis added).
Tellingly, A&E has declined to comment on whether anyone other than Ms. Remini is being paid. That silence speak volumes, raising questions if, like the KKK show, the sources in Ms. Remini’s series were paid. (Church officials have confirmed that Mike Rinder, the interview subject of the entire second segment and an interview subject in subsequent segments, was indeed paid.)
Slauson Productions unambiguously described both Ms. Remini and Mr. Rinder as subjects for their series. In his letter of August 3, 2016, Alex Weresow declined to meet with Church representatives unless the meeting were to: “involve our key subjects, including but not limited to Leah Remini and Mike Rinder.” The same letter, describes Mike Rinder as a “victim, witness, or both.” Both are being paid for their participation.
The difference between Remini and Rinder being paid for their interviews and those who were paid for their interviews in the KKK series is a distinction without a difference: in both, on-air participants were enticed to make inflammatory statements for money. As the Variety report stated, KKK members were “presented with pre-scripted fictional story scenarios; instructed what to say on camera; asked to misrepresent their actual identities, motivations and relationships with others, and re-enacted camera shoots repeatedly until the production team was satisfied.” One of them said, “A&E would give me an order of what to say–it was scripted.” There is no debating that some sources in the show received significant in-kind compensation through on-air promotion of their anti-Scientology books sold by these individuals on the Internet.
Law Offices of GARY S. SOTER
Ms. Nancy Dubuc January 2, 2017 Page 3
In the weeks since Ms. Remini’s series began, Scientology Churches have been the victim of acts of criminal vandalism in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tampa, where a suspect has just been arrested and charged with criminal vandalism. As of New Year’s Day he was still in custody.
The Church of Scientology of San Francisco suffered two instances of vandalism following the airing of Leah Remini’s series. During the night of December 10-11, an unknown individual spray painted the words “Need Bullshit. Get it here,” on the sidewalk in front of the San Francisco Church. During the night following the December 20, broadcast of Remini’s show, someone spray painted the word, “Brainwashed” on the side of the San Francisco Church. The police are treating both incidents as hate crimes.
Moreover, since the series began, Scientology Churches received eleven threatening phone calls and more than 200 threatening emails and Internet postings.
On December 30, an anonymous caller threatened the receptionist at the Los Angeles Church with rape, claiming that he had raped and killed the receptionist’s mother and was coming for her. The incident was reported to the police.
Other threatening calls include the following:
• “You people are a rabid cult and you need to be eradicated from this earth.” • “We’re gonna fucking destroy you” • “I just got done fucking your mama. So bend on over. Oops, too late. She’s dead.” • “I heard that David Miscavige had been killed. Is that true?” The receptionist replied, “No” and he said, “Why not—he should be.”
As to hate mail, my client continues to receive the hate mail of the type I raised in my letter of December 27. Here is a small sampling over the last few days:
• “David Miscavige is a LITTLE man. Why hasn’t anyone beat the shit out of him? #ScientologyTheAftermath #Scientology @Leahremini @Mike Rinder”
• “If I ever see David Miscavige in public, I will punch him in the face @Scientology @LeahRemini”
Law Offices of GARY S. SOTER
Ms. Nancy Dubuc January 2, 2017 Page 4
• “I would love to join this church and get my hands on that little pussy miscaviage beat the living shit out of him and take over this scam it’s time for a change and I AM COMING”
• “I am watching the Leah Remini series about your cult. I see the deception that you put on your members and how you keep them captive. You guys are freaks and are actually worshipping Satan. Get out while you can.”
• “Go A&E for exposing more than I knew. I knew it was a cult but not like this. Come to my house meet my 9mm glock.”
A&E’s silence on whether interview subjects are being paid, coached and/or directed strongly suggests that the Remini series on Scientology suffers from the same flaws that A&E considered fatal to its integrity as a network with respect to the KKK series. My client respectfully requests fair and equal treatment.
Very truly yours,
THE LAW OFFICES OF GARY S. SOTER A PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION
/s/
GARY S. SOTER GSS/gps