Lawsuit claims Church of Scientology violated child labor and wage laws

[kpete]

Source: St. Petersburg Times

Lawsuit claims Church of Scientology violated child labor and wage laws

By Thomas C. Tobin and Joe Childs, Times Staff Writers

A runaway from the Church of Scientology's restrictive religious order, the Sea Org, alleges in two lawsuits filed Friday that the church violated California laws regulating child labor, wages and school attendance.

Daniel Montalvo, who turns 20 today, also contends his parents, who remain in the Sea Org, neglected him and breached their duty to protect him from harm by ceding his care to the church.

Church spokesman Tommy Davis said Friday night the church had not been served with the suits and could not comment on them. He noted Montalvo took Church of Scientology property — computer hard drives — when he left valued at tens of thousands of dollars. Then, with the help of church defectors Montalvo moved them across state lines.

Born in Ecuador, Montalvo moved with his parents to the church's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater when he was 5. He stayed there until age 15, when he was transferred to Los Angeles, where he worked at church facilities until leaving last September.

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/scientology/lawsuit-claims-church-of-scientology-violated-child-labor-and-wage-laws/1155473

[fascisthunter]

1. another creepy modern day cult

[janet118]

2. Great New Yorker article on Scientology and Paul Haggis

The Apostate

On August 19, 2009, Tommy Davis, the chief spokesperson for the Church of Scientology International, received a letter from the film director and screenwriter Paul Haggis. “For ten months now I have been writing to ask you to make a public statement denouncing the actions of the Church of Scientology of San Diego,” Haggis wrote. Before the 2008 elections, a staff member at Scientology’s San Diego church had signed its name to an online petition supporting Proposition 8, which asserted that the State of California should sanction marriage only “between a man and a woman.” The proposition passed. As Haggis saw it, the San Diego church’s “public sponsorship of Proposition 8, which succeeded in taking away the civil rights of gay and lesbian citizens of California—rights that were granted them by the Supreme Court of our state—is a stain on the integrity of our organization and a stain on us personally. Our public association with that hate-filled legislation shames us.” Haggis wrote, “Silence is consent, Tommy. I refuse to consent.” He concluded, “I hereby resign my membership in the Church of Scientology."

Article goes into depth about "Sea Org" and its history of child slave labor as well as defectors' stories about other weirdness they have witnessed.

[bluedeminredstate]

3. Tommy Davis

is the son of Anne Archer, the actress. He was raised in the church and is married to the woman who was Katie Holmes' minder when she hooked up with Tom Cruise. Tommy Davis is such a flack. That Paul Haggis article doesn't reflect well on him at all.

[CBGLuthier]

4. Gee this sounds like the shit the catholics pulled in Ireland

Why do religions need so much child labor?

[bengalherder]

6. A similar question was posed on WWP (the major anon anti-scientology site)

The reply someone gave rang true. If you get a child young enough, then limit their schooling and outside world contact, they are unlikely to leave the cult when older having few options in the 'real' world. Better yet, when they reproduce they will also likely put their children thru the same cycle.

Besides, child labor is historically badly compensated. More profit for the mother cult.

This happened in CA and legally it is unlikely that he should ever have had access to such a machine at that age. Minors are not allowed to use(or, for that matter, clean)dangerous equipment in businesses there.

[gateley]

5. Look out, Mississippi! Here comes the Church of Scientology!

I'm sure they would be welcomed with open arms down there. :evilgrin:

[bengalherder]

7. K&R

I hope someday all the people whom this cult holds in virtual slavery are freed.

[intaglio]

8. Hard Drives worth 10s of Thousands of Dollars?

Yeh, right.

A not very deep search found 1TB drives at £36 ($58) in the UK.

Scientology, playing the victim card since 1952.