The Church of Scientology is rejoicing over a small win in Leah Remini’s legal claim after a Los Angeles judge ruled that some of the remarks in question are considered protected speech.
In Superior Court Judge Randolph Hammock’s divided March 12 decision, obtained by TheWrap, the judge partially granted and partially denied the Church’s request to remove her altered first complaint.
Specifically, the removed accusations “include that Plaintiff was a ‘bigot,’ ‘racist,’ ‘abusive,’ ‘pro-rape’ and ‘promoted hate speech,’ among others,” because Remini could not provide enough evidence. The court even labeled manipulated photographs as “highly offensive and inappropriate” satire.
“In other words, this is not a private conflict. When seen in context, the First Amended Complaint clearly shows that the alleged statements Defendants made about Plaintiff online involve a broader public dispute over Plaintiff’s relationship with Scientology,” the ruling stated. “And Defendants’ online attack is more than just a ‘functional relationship to that public interest.’ The online posts themselves are part of the public’s interest in Plaintiff and Scientology.”
“Plaintiff herself is a former Scientologist who now actively speaks against the Church often publicly through various media. This can hardly be an attempt to ‘earnestly’ avoid public controversy,” the judge continued. “To summarize, the Church is a high-profile entity speaking on a high-profile figure. Plaintiff is a high-profile figure speaking on a high-profile entity. Plaintiff’s speech is at times responsive to, or provoked by, Defendants, and vice versa.”
“By engaging in the back-and-forth, purposely public battle against each other, the parties have made the issue one of significant public interest,” the ruling added. “Therefore, Plaintiff’s accusations regarding Defendants’ online statements about her ‘arise from’ Defendants’ protected activities. Defendants have therefore met their burden for the speech implicated in these parts of the First Amended Complaint.”
However, parts of Remini’s accusations of wrongful interference, surveillance and harassment were not removed, as she showed the “required minimal merit” in her claim. Also, other statements against Remini were dismissed because they were outside the time limit for defamation.
“This is a strong win for the Church and free speech — Remini’s complaint has been reduced. The Church is entitled to its lawyer fees and will be pursuing them,” the Church said in a statement to TheWrap.
The “King of Queens” actress filed her original lawsuit in August 2023. Lawyers for the Church of Scientology then filed a motion to strike Remini’s lawsuit under California’s anti-SLAPP laws.
Following Tuesday’s decision, which echoed January and February’s tentative decisions, Remini issued her own public statement on X (formerly Twitter).
While no trial date was listed on this week’s documents, the case is still expected to go forward in October 2025.
