March 28, 2016
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL ONLY
Kelli Sager, Esq.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
865 South Figueroa Street, Suite 2400
Los Angeles, California 90017-2566
Re: Macmillan and St. Martin’s Publishing
Dear Kelli:
I write to you in your capacity as counsel to Macmillan Publishing and St. Martin’s Press. I am sorry that you were unable to attend the meeting on Wednesday we had with the representatives of your clients and your partner but I did appreciate your telephonic participation.
Given what my colleagues and I perceived as the dismissive nature of those attending the meeting in New York despite the overwhelming evidence that St. Martin’s is scheduled to publish a book replete with material lies, my colleagues and I have continued to assemble the evidence available to us that demonstrates why St. Martin’s and Macmillan would make a grievous and actionable error in publishing the falsely represented “memoir” of Ronald Miscavige. Had we had longer than the 90 minutes offered for our presentation, or anything like an engaged discussion, we would have provided additional information demonstrating the falsity of the purported “memoir.”
As fair warning of what will be publicly demonstrated to prove the scope of the lies and the character of the liar in the book which St. Martin’s and Macmillan intend to publish, you and they should be aware that we have now thoroughly reviewed Ronald Miscavige’s “Day Timer” entries maintained by him in the ordinary and daily course of his tenure as a member of the Sea Org.
The documents cover the years 2005 through 2011 and are voluminous—more than 50 volumes. Of course, you know he left Golden Era Productions in early 2012. Rather than reflect the pyrotechnically charged “revelations” offered for sale by Ronald Miscavige and thus your clients, they instead reveal the quotidian existence of a trumpet player whose failed life was rescued by the intervention of his son. What he did during the day. What he did on his numerous days off. And not a word about “prisons”; nothing about “the Hole”; not a peep about “beatings.” Indeed, you will see once again, should you choose to accept my offer to review these documents, that the core part of his narrative about reporting as an “insider” on the actions and strategies of the Church of Scientology are either completely falsified, plagiarized or a repackaging of disproven claims flying around in the public domain. Ronald Miscavige does not know of what he writes for he simply was not involved and often was at a great distance from where decisions were being made. His book is a fraud and he’s indisputably a liar.
What Ronald Miscavige does know, however, in addition to how to lie about and conceal his extraordinary physical and mental abuse of his wife and daughters, and the facility with which he accepted his oldest and namesake son, an incestuous rapist, into the mainstream of his life, is how to malign the religion that helped him for years in his life. Ronald Miscavige sat for an interview at the end of 2011, recorded with his consent, in which he discussed the early Miscavige family history predating the time his son David left his family to begin his journey that culminated with him becoming the ecclesiastical head of the Church of Scientology. During the course of this interview Ronald Miscavige gives tribute to his successful younger son. What is revealing amidst the encomia directed toward son David by Ronald is the context in which he offers praise.
First, it is a shock to see what he does not know about his son David. For example, where he went to school! A clear reminder that he did not have a normal relationship with his son who, in any event, left home at 16 to pursue his life in the religion and remained at a great distance from his father.
You will recall I am quite sure the presentation we made about Ronald Miscavige’s arrest for rape. I discussed the police report and read from the warrant supporting the arrest. In expressing gratitude to his son for arranging a superior lawyer to assist in his defense of the multiple felony charges, Ronald Miscavige offered this bit of “context” in the taped interview.
Perhaps not since the retirement of L.A.P.D. Detective Mark Furman has such a description of an African-American man been openly expressed in such terms. And make no mistake, Ronald knew he was being recorded. I would think St. Martin’s and Macmillan would be ashamed to associate itself with a person saying such things. So far, shame does not appear to be in the suite of services offered by these publishers.
However, as the tape makes inarguable, characterization of people by race or ethnicity is behavior with which Ronald Miscavige is most comfortable while the Church and his son find it reprehensible. For example, in discussing purported close friends he offers the back of his hand and dismisses them as “The Jews.” What a simple way to see the world!
As I said in the meeting last week, and as I repeat here, St. Martin’s and Macmillan should have nothing to do with this despicable man and his lie filled book. Excusing the wholesale domestic abuse by the publishing house that also offers a primer on how to “Stop Domestic Violence, an Action Plan for Saving Lives” co-authored by the father of Nicole Brown Simpson, and permitting the continued concealment of the rape of his daughters by his son, as was reported to you and your colleagues in our meeting, is a slap in the face to those to whom your clients would offer to sell “Protecting Your Children From Sexual Predators.”
The misconduct that Macmillan and St. Martin’s are about to engage in shall, as I have noted in our meeting, forever blacken the names and reputations of these publishers and the executives who decide to speed through the red light warning that publication must be stopped. Holding out as “non-fiction” and a “memoir” something that is clearly neither will be the linchpin of litigation throughout the United States and abroad. Given the overwhelming and undisputed evidence of falsity contained both in the contents of the sealed envelope displayed and recited at our meeting last week and the content of the Day Timer entries and oral history recording mentioned above, the fig leaves of defenses based upon David Miscavige’s position as a “public figure”, or otherwise wrapping the purveying for profit of knowing lies within the protective coating of the First Amendment will be unsuccessful. Even public figures have actionable claims notwithstanding constitutional protections. If you don’t believe me, ask Gawker and Hulk Hogan what they think.
I will be pleased to meet with you at your convenience so that you may review the Day Timers and to hear the tape. I believe, however, that such evidence is just cumulative proof of why this collection of lies should not be published. I do hope that you will intervene to prevent your clients from doing what is wrong simply in the hope of them profiting. Of course, such a meeting would be unnecessary if the powers that be at your end have already decided not to go forward with publication as they should. If that is the case, please notify me.
As you might expect, this letter is by no means a complete statement of applicable fact and law. All rights are reserved.
Sincerely,
Beti H. Deixler
