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Arnie Lerma

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Template:ScientologySeries Arnaldo (Arnie) Pagliarini Lerma (b. November 18, 1950) is a former Scientologist, and critic of Scientology, who has appeared in television, media and radio interviews.

File:Arnaldo-Lerma.jpg

Controversy with Scientology

RTC vs. Lerma

Lerma was also the first person to scan and post the court document known as the Fishman Affidavit which included the Xenu story to the Internet Usenet newsgroup alt.religion.scientology in August, 1995:

"The dispute in this case surrounds Lerma's acquisition and publication on the Internet of texts that the Church of Scientology considers sacred and protects heavily from unauthorized disclosure. Founded by L. Ron Hubbard, the Scientology religion attempts to explain the origin of negative spiritual forces in the world and advances techniques for improving one's own spiritual well-being. Scientologists believe that most human problems can be traced to lingering spirits of an extraterrestrial people massacred by their ruler, Xenu, over 75 million years ago. These spirits attach themselves by "clusters" to individuals in the contemporary world, causing spiritual harm and negatively influencing the lives of their hosts."
(Memorandum Opinion of October 4, 1996 by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema; Religious Technology Center v. Arnaldo Lerma)[1]

Lerma's home was subsequently raided by federal marshals and lawyers from the Church of Scientology, alleging he was in possession of copyrighted documents.[2]

A lawsuit was filed against Lerma and his Internet service provider by the church's Religious Technology Center, (RTC), claiming copyright infringement and trade secret misappropriation.[3]

The Washington Post and two investigative reporters were added to the lawsuit, as an article written about the raid contained three brief quotes from Scientology "Advanced Technology" documents.[4] The Washington Post, et al were released from the suit when USDJ Leonie Brinkema ruled in a memorandum on November 28, 1995:

"When the RTC first approached the Court with its ex parte request for the seizure warrant and temporary restraining order, the dispute was presented as a straight-forward one under copyright and trade secret law. However, the Court is now convinced that the primary motivation of RTC in suing Lerma, DGS and The Post is to stifle criticism of Scientology in general and to harass its critics. As the increasingly vitriolic rhetoric of its briefs and oral argument now demonstrates, the RTC appears far more concerned about criticism of Scientology than vindication of its secrets."
(Memorandum Opinion of November 28, 1995, by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema; Religious Technology Center v. Arnaldo Lerma, Washington Post, Mark Fisher, and Richard Leiby)

The Memorandum Opinion acknowledges what critics believe Scientology practices to this day: the "Fair Game" policy, a written directive by L. Ron Hubbard that encourages harassment of anyone who speaks out against the church.

In conclusion, the court awarded RTC the statutory minimum of $2,500 for five instances of non-willful copyright violation.

Lermanet

Arnie Lerma started a website "Lermanet" which concentrates on news about Scientology and on documenting lawsuits by Scientology.

Arnie Lerma hosts on his Lermanet site also the website of journalist Joe Cisar who translated German articles about Scientology and reported investigations.

Arnie Lerma is also noted for discovering an altered picture on a Scientology website on New Year's Eve in 1999, one that appeared to inflate the number of members attending a millennial event at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in California. He posted the pictures to his website identifying the alterations, with the most prominent feature being the "man with no head." The story appeared on national television and in the press.[5]

References

  1. ^ http://www.eff.org/legal/cases/Scientology_cases/brinkema_rtc_washpost_112895.opinion
  2. ^ http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Fishman/Lerma/
  3. ^ http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/Fishman/Lerma/
  4. ^ Fisher, Marc (1995-08-19). "Church in Cyberspace - Its Sacred Writ Is on the Net. Its Lawyers Are on the Case". Washington Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)Convenience copy
  5. ^ Grove, Lloyd (2000-01-04). "The Reliable Source - Scientology's Funny Photos". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-08-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
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