Here’s the court order demanding Danny Masterson’s attorneys attend leak hearing
Naturally, the events that transpired on Wednesday afternoon in Judge Charlaine Olmedo’s courtroom have captured the world’s attention, as Danny Masterson was convicted and remanded to custody.
But what happened earlier that morning in court was also very important to us, and we’ve been trying to get a little more information on it.
We’re talking, of course, about the evidentiary hearing that was scheduled that morning, to determine how a trove of the prosecution’s evidence which it had shared with Masterson’s defense team ended up in the hands of an attorney for the Church of Scientology.
Defense attorney Philip Cohen told Judge Olmedo that he wasn’t sharing evidence with Scientology, and his co-counsel, Shawn Holley, seemed to point the finger to their predecessors, the legal team of Tom Mesereau and Sharon Appelbaum.
So we found it very interesting when we saw that Mesereau and Appelbaum were in court Wednesday morning, and each of them had legal representation with them.
You know when attorneys show up with attorneys, something serious is going down.
Alas, the matter was put back a week, until June 7, and we’re sticking around in Los Angeles for it. But in the meantime, we were curious about what had compelled Mesereau and Appelbaum to show up that morning. (Appelbaum and her attorney indicated that they had come up all the way from San Diego.)
Well, we now have a copy of the court order that in fact did demand the presence of those attorneys, and we thought you’d want to see it. Here’s what the court issued on May 19…
There are some interesting details here. Right off the bat, for example, we learn that this hearing may be about the “possible imposition of monetary sanctions.”
Oh, you don’t say!
The second line orders the attorneys for the two parties to appear (Deputy DAs Reinhold Mueller and Ariel Anson, and for the defense Philip Cohen and Shawn Holley), as well as defense attorneys who were previously part of Masterson’s team: Karen Goldstein from the first trial, and Tom Mesereau and Sharon Appelbaum, who handled the May 2021 preliminary hearing.
Notified, but not ordered to appear, are Scientology’s attorney Vicki Podberesky and Dominick Cognata, who is a “Marsy’s Law” attorney for one of the Jane Doe victims.
It’s disappointing that Podberesky is not ordered to appear, but apparently Judge Olmedo is focused more on who gave up the discovery materials, and not so much on who received them.
And among the recipients of copies of the order listed at the end is Edith R. Matthai, who was there Wednesday morning with Mesereau. We’re told that Ms. Matthai is a rather legendary figure around the courthouse for representing other attorneys when they get in a spot of trouble.
Well, isn’t that interesting. Now we know how Judge Olmedo assembled such a fascinating group of lawyers Wednesday morning, and will again on this coming Wednesday.
We are really looking forward to find out what they have to say about how such sensitive evidence ended up in the hands of Scientology, which was not a party to the criminal trial.
And speaking of that, you may have already seen Scientology’s rather amazing whine about the trial, which it issued Wednesday afternoon.
Although this screed does not carry a signature, we can tell you that this has church leader David Miscavige’s petulant style written all over it.
You’ll notice that the words “Danny Masterson” do not appear. And Judge Charlaine Olmedo is only referred to as “the Court” and “her.”
Oh, David Miscavige is hopping mad. And about what? That repeatedly, Scientology’s own ethics codes were cited accurately in the trial, revealing that Scientologists are indoctrinated that they cannot go to “civil authorities” (i.e., police) when it comes to other Scientologists, and that they must submit any criminal complaints to the church itself. Also, that the Jane Does were punished for being victims, and were subjected to sadistic “handlings” by a church that protects its “upstat” members and celebrities.
Through spokeswoman Karin Pouw, Miscavige repeatedly denied that the “Introduction to Ethics” book says what it says, but we have eyes, Dave.
From the screechy nature of this letter, you might get the idea that Miscavige is actually worried about something.
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Thank you Tony for posting the official statement of the church.
There is a new Fantasy Land in Florida not at Disney world but in Clearwater and a diminutive king rules over his beige and terra cotta castle with an iron fist. Recently his edict embossed with the gold and red letterhead of the Church of Scientology is “The Truth” within the castle. And everywhere else in the world including Clearwater, more and more people know that David Miscavige’s organization protects criminals, scammers, cheats, women abusers, child abusers, and slave traffickers.
Ultimately the members of Scientology are bringing it down. The scam produces a core of members and staff who have no moral compass and have only one purpose, “protect the bridge to total freedom so I can achieve my immortality”. The end results are toxic inhuman narcissists. And this is what we see in living color with the Masterson case. I speak as one with almost 50 years as a die hard member and how lacking I was as a compassionate human being. So all the money in the world will not save this destructive organization from disintegrating..
"Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land." Didn't Hubbard take to the high seas to avoid "all laws of the land?" (They just never change their tortured verbiage, do they?)