Attorney Lee Fugate; Scientology, Clearwater, & Corruption
Mrs. Britton, I’m not trying to say anything. You have indicated in your testimony yesterday and today that you were upset with a variety of different law enforcement agencies and people because they did not conduct a very good investigation into the events surrounding Kyle’s death. And I’m asking you what investigation did you conduct and what did you do to preserve the findings of that investigation and inquiry? –Attorney Lee Fugate
Five years after the death of Kyle, an interesting story was reported by WTSP News in Tampa. On November 9, 2012, Mark C. Rathbun—Scientology’s former number-two man—gave sworn testimony accusing Clearwater-area judges and lawyers of criminal wrongdoing regarding another Scientology-related lawsuit. Rathbun says the Church hired another attorney, former prosecutor Lee Fugate, to have illegal Ex parte meetings with judges involved in the case.
Attorney Lee Fugate
Mediation Day; Wolves in Suits
https://thetruthforkylebrennan.com/2020/09/07/mediation-day-wolves-in-suits/
Deposition Excerpts of Victoria Britton
https://thetruthforkylebrennan.com/2013/07/09/1001/
Obstruction of justice and criminality in the investigative and court proceedings of and relating to Kyle Brennan and Lisa McPherson.
“But Dandar, who is suing the Church- saying it violated his civil rights, says the issues go way beyond one judge. The implication not only involves attorneys and a judge; it involves law enforcement.”
Statement of Mark C. Rathbun, a former senior executive of the Church of Scientology.
“According to Dandar, “Something doesn’t smell right.” We asked him what the public should think when they see this and he added: “Something bad is going on in Pinellas County.”
Federal Suit; Scientologist spent $ 30 million to cover death
Blockbuster charges in a Federal Suit involving the Church of Scientology. It involves accusations of impropriety and some of the most respected members of the judiciary and legal profession.
The allegations are coming from the former number-two man in the organization, and involve what he says is a multi-million dollar cover-up of the death of a woman in Scientology care.
The woman at the center of it all is Lisa McPherson, who died in 1995 after being involved in a minor traffic accident.
At the time of the accident, McPherson, who was a Church of Scientology member, said she needed psychiatric help. Instead, the church members took her to the Ft. Harrison Hotel to care for her.
Just 17 days later, Lisa McPherson was dead.
McPherson’s death spawned emotional protests near Scientology headquarters in Downtown Clearwater, a lawsuit from her family- as some charged they let her die and watched her die- and criminal prosecution from the Pinellas State Attorney’s office.
The Church was charged with a second-degree felony for practicing medicine without a license, and abuse of a disabled adult.
However, the charges were dropped after Pinellas Medical Examiner Joan Wood changed the cause of death from unknown to accidental.
Marty Rathbun, the former number-two man in Scientology, alleges that the organization showered gifts on the Medical Examiner’s attorney, Jeff Goodis, to influence her to change the cause of death.
Once that happened, the criminal case fell apart.
In addition, Rathbun says the Church hired another attorney, former prosecutor Lee Fugate, to have illegal Ex parte meetings with judges involved in the case.
Rathbun says, “Listen. Lee Fugate, his value was to schmooze. As a matter of fact, that’s what David Miscavige and myself used to say. Let’s get Lee to schmooze; let’s get Lee to schmooze.”
In the suit, Rathbun contends the Church of Scientology spent at least $30 million to get the charges dropped, and mitigates the damages in the civil suit.
Jeff Goodis denies the charges and Attorney Lee Fugate says he can’t comment on a federal suit, but it would be shocking to believe that some of Pinellas’ top judges could be involved in an illegal activity like this.
However, Ken Dandar, the attorney who represented McPherson’s family against the church, says, “Maybe Mr. Rathbun doesn’t know what he is talking about, and maybe it’s all his imagination. I don’t think so…”
Dandar says the organization has come after him. He says attorney Wally Pope and Judge Robert Beach have illegally claimed the settlement papers in the McPherson case.
Papers that included what’s called a “practice restriction” so Dandar could never sue Scientology again.
Dandar adds,” If what I’ve been told is correct, I will go after the people who have corrupted the system, and I will go after the members of the system that have been corrupted.”
We couldn’t reach Judge Robert Beach or any other of the Judges named in the lawsuit.
Attorney Wally Pope told us he wouldn’t comment to the media and no one from the Church of Scientology returned our calls.
But, late Friday, Pope filed a lawsuit on behalf of Scientology to have all of Marty Rathbun’s testimony thrown out.
There is an emergency in Federal Court Monday.
“Tom Brennan, at the time of Kyle’s death, was employed by the mega-wealthy Church of Scientology. His title was “Director of Public Book Sales.” Brennan’s salary for this illustrious-sounding position ranged between twenty and thirty dollars per week. He supplemented these meager Scientology-slave wages by working at various menial jobs. Brennan hawked rugs alongside a Florida interstate highway, and he also worked as a handyman for Gerald and Denise Miscavige Gentile.
Under Denise’s direction, Brennan mowed the Gentile lawn, shopped for the family groceries, and made various repairs to one of the “news-worthy” Pinellas County rental properties owned by Gerald. (Why was this particular property “news-worthy”? According to a front-page piece published by the Tampa Bay Tribune, Denise Miscavige Gentile, in an act of charitable kindness, had been accepting from down-on-their-luck tenants marijuana cigarettes in lieu of rent.)”
Excerpts from the Deposition of Mark C. Rathbun pertaining to Attorney Lee Fugate
Declaration of Sue Rudd: David Miscavige
Excerpts from the deposition of Detective Stephen Bohling
Statement of Mark C. Rathbun, a former senior executive of the Church of Scientology.
Excerpt from the deposition of Stephen McNamara MD
https://thetruthforkylebrennan.com/judge-ben-krentzman-attorney-paul-johnson-information/
Lisa McPherson died under mysterious circumstances in 1995, but the attorney who represents her family says Scientology is still trying to keep him from helping other families with claims against the church.
McPherson was a longtime member of the Church of Scientology when she died in 1995. But after she died, many had questions about the circumstances of her death- including her family.
Attorney Ken Dandar helped McPherson’s family battle the church, but years later, the Church is still trying to stop Dandar from helping other families.
According to Dandar, “Something doesn’t smell right.” We asked him what the public should think when they see this and he added: “Something bad is going on in Pinellas County.”
Dandar is talking about how the Church settled the Lisa McPherson case. A former top-ranking Scientologist- Marty Rathbun says the Pinellas County Judge handling the McPherson case, Judge Robert Beach, should never have met with Church attorney Lee Fugate about the case.
According to Rathbun “Fugate was convincing Beach this case had nothing to do with justice; it had nothing to do with recompense; it was a bunch of money hungry relatives that didn’t care about McPherson.”
However, Judge Robert Beach says, “I have never had any conversations with Scientologists outside of the courtroom
Judge Beach also claims he doesn’t understand why even Federal Judge Stephen Merryday suggested it was possible he was working as a “surrogate” of the Church.
When we asked Beach, “What about when Merryday said you were a surrogate of Scientology?”, Beach said, “That upset me too. I’m still wondering why he made those statements.”
But Dandar, who is suing the Church- saying it violated his civil rights, says the issues go way beyond one judge.
The implication not only involves attorneys and a judge; it involves law enforcement.
