Newsgroups: alt.religion.scientology
Subject: Norwegian Scientologists loses trial
From: gisle@a.sn.no (Gisle Hannemyr)
Date: 20 Oct 1996 13:27:42 +0200
--------
For those who read Norwegian, a major legal victory of a former victim 
over the Co$ is reported in the online edition of the Norwegian daily, 
Aftenposten, on October 19th, 1996.  The URL is:

   http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/forste/s66392.htm

Here follows a translation into English:

====
CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY TO PAY DAMAGES TO FORMER MEMBER

The Church of Scientology has for the first time lost a major lawsuit
in a higher court in Norway. The Church must pay NOK 600 000 [approx.
US$ 93 000] in damages to a former member.

The plaintiff broke with the movement after being a member for five
years.  He had taken up loans totalling NOK 300 000 [US$ 47 000] to 
pay for various courses.

The Church of Scientology has previously entered into generous out of
court settlements with dissatified former members. This time they
wanted to try their case in a court of law, with a very expensive
result for the movement. In addition to the NOK 600 000 in damages,
they also have to pay NOK 249 000 [US$ 39 000] in court costs.

  "The most important thing here is that the Court of Appeals has
   upheld the ruling of the City Court that the Scientologists is
   using undue pressure, bordering on the use of force", states
   Kurt Vigeland, who represented the former member in court.

Vigeland belives it is very unlikely that the Supreme Court will hear
the case, but the Scientologits are determined to appeal.

   "Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that Supreme Court will allow
    this case to be heard", says John Arild Aasen, representing the
    Church of Scientology: "However, we believe that this case contains
    some special circumstances".

====

Translator's note:

If the Supreme Court refuses to hear the case, the ruling will 
automatically become final.

US$ 93 000 in damages and US$ 39 000 may seem small by American
standards, where multi-million dollar lawsuits seem to be the rule
rather than the exception -- but in Norway, the amounts awarded the
plaintiff in this case are considered high.

The most important consequence of this ruling, however, is that it
opens the Co$ up for litigation from any other dissatisfied former
member which has been forced by the Church' to pay for services they
did not want during their membership. This may eventually tax the
financial resources of Co$ so heavy that they must cease operation in
Norway.
-- 
- gisle hannemyr       ( gisle@a.sn.no  - http://home.sn.no/home/gisle/ )
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