Scientology leader David Miscavige once again denies he’s been served Leah Remini’s lawsuit

Last month, we told you that Leah Remini submitted proof that she’d made another set of attempts to notify Scientology honcho David Miscavige that she’s suing him by sending out process servers to perform “substitute service” on the elusive church leader.

Leah filed her lawsuit on August 2 against Miscavige and the Church of Scientology (in the form of Church of Scientology International and the Religious Technology Center). She’s alleging that she’s been harassed and defamed for years by Scientology, which has interfered with her ability to make a living.

Like he has numerous times before, Miscavige responded by sending attorneys who tell the court they’re making “special appearances” outside of the lawsuit itself, claiming that Miscavige has never been properly served.

For our foreign readers in particular, this has been a very strange concept: Miscavige responds to lawsuits by sending attorneys to argue that he is unaware that he’s being sued because no one has officially notified him of it. Such is the way litigation works in this country.

For her part, Leah has made extra efforts to serve Miscavige by having process servers approach employees at key Scientology facilities, giving them copies of the lawsuit.

And now, Miscavige’s personal attorney, Jeffrey Riffer, has once again come back with his usual angry style, saying that Remini is wasting everyone’s time because once again she’s focusing on a place that is not where David Miscavige lives or works.

OK, before we go any further into Riffer’s riffing, let’s get something straight.

David Miscavige, according to the church’s own publications and websites, is the chairman of Scientology’s subsidiary the Religious Technology Center (RTC).

And according to Scientology’s own websites, RTC’s official address is 1710 Ivar Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028. Here, look for yourself, this is taken from one of Scientology’s own websites:

As for Miscavige himself, there are very few official records which list an address for him. But there’s simply no question that in 1991 and again in 1995, he was cited for speeding in Pinellas County, Florida (where Clearwater is, and Scientology’s “spiritual mecca” the Flag Land Base) and both times his home address was listed as 6331 Hollywood Blvd, Apt 1100, Hollywood, CA.

Here, see for yourself:

Well, now, here’s an interesting thing about those two addresses, RTC’s headquarters at 1710 Ivar Avenue, and Dave’s address at 6331 Hollywood Boulevard…

They’re both the same place.

The Hollywood Guaranty Building at the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Ivar Ave is a key Scientology property. On its ground floor it houses the L. Ron Hubbard Life Exhibition, a garish display of affection for Scientology’s founder. But up on the 11th floor, according to many former Sea Org employees, is the nerve center for RTC.

Both 6331 Hollywood Blvd and 1710 Ivar Ave are entrances in the same building.

So, according to what few public records there are, this is the best evidence for one location, at least, where David Miscavige lives or works.

We understand that he’s probably not around there much these days. The only verified recent public appearances of the man, according to Scientology’s own publications, are at graduation ceremonies and other events at the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida (2021-2023), the IAS gala at East Grinstead, England (November 2023) and at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on December 16.

But if you’re a process server looking to complete “substitute service” on the evasive David Miscavige by placing court papers with one of his employees, you’re basically on solid ground to attempt it at either the Hollywood Blvd or Ivar Ave entrances of the HGB.

And that’s exactly what Leah Remini did this last time, with her process servers focusing their efforts there.

But now, Miscavige’s surly personal attorney Jeffrey Riffer is back with his usual bombast, ridiculing Leah for wasting everyone’s time at a location that is not where Dave lives or works…

Plaintiff Leah Remini (“Plaintiff”) is a former Church of Scientology parishioner. She was expelled from Scientology for serious misconduct. Ever since, Plaintiff has made a career of publicly attacking her former religion and Mr. Miscavige personally. This lawsuit is just her latest effort to harass Mr. Miscavige.

Plaintiff’s prior insufficient attempts at service of Mr. Miscavige in this action are already the subject of a pending motion to quash. Apparently realizing that her purported service was invalid, Plaintiff sent process servers to allegedly attempt service of Mr. Miscavige at two additional locations, neither of which is Mr. Miscavige’s home nor usual place of business.

Riffer submits numerous declarations and spills plenty of ink claiming that Leah’s process servers didn’t do what they said they did, and then once again repeats that she’s simply not going to the right place…

Plaintiff cannot manufacture diligence merely by returning to the same improper address multiple times. Plaintiff’s process servers claim to have attempted personal service at 6331 Hollywood Boulevard and/or 1710 Ivar Avenue six to eight times between October 30 and December 12, 2023….None of these purported attempts were valid because these addresses are not Mr. Miscavige’s usual place of abode, dwelling place, or usual place of business.

Of course, Riffer doesn’t offer what place is Dave’s usual abode these days.

But again, the public records that do exist contradict Riffer and point to the HGB as the place to attempt to serve Miscavige. And we’ll remind you that last year, a similar effort to serve Miscavige by Valeska Paris’s attorneys also focused on the HGB as well as some other locations, and she was successful having a federal magistrate judge in Tampa declare that Miscavige was purposely evading service, and that those efforts were sufficient to declare Miscavige a defendant in Valeska’s labor trafficking lawsuit. (Sadly, a few weeks later the district judge in that case granted Scientology’s motion for arbitration, derailing the lawsuit, but the fact remains that Miscavige was found to be evasive, and he was named an official defendant, in part because of efforts to serve him at the HGB.)

So the upshot is, Riffer is going to Rifferize like he always does, and he and his client Dave will continue to pretend that he hasn’t been properly notified that he’s being sued.

Soon, however, Riffer is going to run up against Judge Randolph Hammock — on February 14, in fact — and after our experience observing Judge Hammock last week in Los Angeles, Riffer and Dave may be in for a shock. If Judge Hammock again relies on “common sense” as he did last week, well, maybe some of this nonsense will finally go away.

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