The Church of Scientology has asked a judge to move a civil
trial stemming from the death of one of its members out of the area, claiming
local residents are biased against it and regard the church as a cult.
In a motion filed this week, the Clearwater-based church said that media
coverage of the Lisa McPherson wrongful death case has turned back the clock to
days of "overt hate mongering and media-fueled public animus" and it
can no longer get a fair trial in the Tampa Bay area.
The church is facing a civil trial in the death of McPherson, a Scientologist
who died in 1995 after being cared for by church staffers. A trial date has not
been set.
The church wants the trial moved to either Palm Beach or Broward county.
Pollsters hired by the church interviewed 300 people at a St. Petersburg
shopping mall earlier this year and found that four out of five had unfavorable
things to say about Scientology, court documents said.
The church concluded that the negative opinions Pinellas residents hold toward
Scientology are so deep and widespread that a fair trial here would be
impossible.
A change-of-venue motion was also filed by attorneys for the church last month
in a related matter, a countersuit against the McPherson estate and its
attorney Ken Dandar that goes to trial July 7.
The church alleges that Dandar improperly attempted to add Scientology leader
David Miscavige as a defendant in the wrongful-death suit.
Dandar said he will contest the motions, arguing that the mall survey is
legally inadmissible.