Judge Strikes Down Parts of Actress Leah Remini’s Lawsuit Against Scientology

An LA Superior Court judge has struck down large parts of Emmy award winner Leah Remini’s defamation and harassment lawsuit against the Church of Scientology; ruling that some of the controversial organization’s comments about her are protected under the First Amendment. In a March 12 final ruling (pdf), Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Randolph Hammock struck down multiple parts of Ms. Remini’s complaint, finding that those claims are “conclusively time-barred” because they took place before Aug. 2, 2022, meaning it is now too late for her to sue over those specific claims. The judge also struck down most of her defamation claims, finding that she had either not met the burden in proving the claims or that the comments made against her by the Church of Scientology were not likely to be taken literally by those who read them after they were shared in the public domain....