Editing Cult Awareness Network (section)

== Jason Scott case ==

{{Main|Jason Scott case}}

In 1995, CAN, and two co-defendants were found guilty of [[negligence]] and [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to violate the [[civil rights]] and [[freedom of religion|religious liberties]] of [[Jason Scott case|Jason Scott]], then a member of the Life Tabernacle Church, a small United [[Pentecostalist]] congregation in [[Bellevue, Washington]].  [[Rick Alan Ross]] was acquitted in the criminal trial.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Russell>{{cite news | first = Ron | last = Russell | title = Scientology's Revenge – For years, the Cult Awareness Network was the Church of Scientology's biggest enemy. But the late L. Ron Hubbard's L.A.-based religion cured that – by taking it over | url = http://www.newtimesla.com/issues/1999-09-09/feature.html | work = [[New Times LA]] | date = 1999-09-09 | access-date = 2009-01-14 | url-status = usurped |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/19991128191944/http://www.newtimesla.com/issues/1999-09-09/feature.html |archive-date = 1999-11-28}} (Note: Linked location features only the beginning of the article.)</ref><ref name=cesnur>{{cite web | title=Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form| url=http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN/02/01.htm | access-date=12 October 2008 }}</ref><ref name=cesnur3>{{cite web | title=Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 3)| url=http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN/02/Page03.jpg | access-date=16 October 2008 }}</ref>  A CAN volunteer had referred Ross to Scott's mother, endorsing his ability as a deprogrammer.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Appeal /> The mother thereupon retained Ross's services.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Appeal />  In a civil trial, Ross was ordered to pay more than 3 million [[United States dollar|USD]] in damages; CAN, having referred Ross to Scott's mother, was ordered to pay a judgement of 1 million USD.<ref name="frantz" /><ref name="larson">{{cite book | last = Larson | first = Bob | author-link = Bob Larson | title = Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality | publisher = Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. | year = 2004 | page = 434 | isbn = 978-0-8423-6417-1| title-link = Larson's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality }}</ref><ref name="deadly">{{cite book | last = Snow | first = Robert L. | title = Deadly Cults: The Crimes of True Believers | publisher = Praeger/Greenwood | year = 2003 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/deadlycultscrime00snow/page/177 177] | isbn = 978-0-275-98052-8 | title-link = Deadly Cults: The Crimes of True Believers }}</ref> The court found that CAN volunteers had routinely referred callers to deprogrammers.<ref name=Supreme>{{cite news | last=Staff | title=Supreme Court rules against anti-cult network | date=1996-03-22 | publisher=[[Associated Press]] }}</ref>

CAN appealed the decision but a three-judge panel of the [[9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals]] upheld the award, two of the three judges finding against CAN, with the third judge dissenting.<ref name=Appeal>{{cite web
 | title = United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit: Jason Scott, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Rick Ross, A/K/A/ Rickey Allen Ross, Mark Workman, Charles Simpson, Defendants, Cult Awareness Network, Defendant-Appellant
 | url = http://www.cesnur.org/press/Scott.htm
 | access-date = 2008-10-13}}</ref><ref name=Supreme /> The full 9th Circuit court then voted against reconsidering the case.<ref name=Supreme /><ref name=Ninth>{{cite news | last=Egelko | first=Bob | title=7 appeals judges protest deprogramming ruling | date=1998-08-27 | publisher=[[Associated Press]] }}</ref> The [[U.S. Supreme Court]] rejected a final appeal by CAN in March 1999.<ref name=Supreme />

Ross went into [[bankruptcy]], but emerged in December 1996 when Scott reconciled with his mother and settled with Ross for five-thousand dollars and 200 hours of Ross's services "as an expert consultant and intervention specialist".<ref name="plaintiffshifts" /> Scott fired his attorney Kendrick Moxon the next day and retained long-time Church of Scientology opponent Graham Berry as his lawyer instead.<ref name="plaintiffshifts" />

After Scott fired Moxon, Moxon filed emergency motions in two states and alleged Scott had been influenced by supporters of CAN to hire Berry as his lawyer.<ref name="plaintiffshifts">{{cite news | last =Goodstein | first =Laurie | title =Plaintiff Shifts Stance on Anti-Cult Group – Scientology-Linked Lawyer Is Dismissed In Move That May Keep Network Running | newspaper =[[The Washington Post]] | page =A4 | date =December 23, 1996}}</ref> "He's really been abused by CAN and disgustingly abused by this guy Berry", said Moxon in a statement in ''[[The Washington Post]]''.<ref name="plaintiffshifts" /> Moxon, who had argued in the case that Ross and associates had hindered a competent adult's freedom to make his own religious decisions, immediately filed court papers seeking to rescind the settlement and appoint a guardian for Scott, whom he called "incapacitated". That effort failed.<ref name=ortega>{{cite web|last=Ortega |first=Tony |title=Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlatans. Clients of deprogrammer Rick Ross call him a savior. Perhaps that's why people he's branded cult leaders want to crucify him. |date=1995-11-30 |access-date=2006-04-27 |website=[[Phoenix New Times]] |url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/1995-11-30/news/feature2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060616182750/http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/1995-11-30/news/feature2.html |archive-date=2006-06-16 }}</ref><ref name=ortega2>{{cite web | first = Tony | last = Ortega | title = What's $2.995 Million Between Former Enemies? | url = http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1996-12-19/news/what-s-2-995-million-between-former-enemies/ | work =Phoenix New Times | date = 1996-12-19 | access-date = 2008-08-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210141301/http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com:80/issues/1996-12-19/news3.html |archive-date=December 10, 2006}}</ref>

Scott stated that he felt he had been manipulated as part of the Church of Scientology's plan to destroy CAN.<ref name="morgantobin"/> According to the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'', Scott and his relatives felt Moxon was not paying enough attention to Scott's financial judgment, and was instead focused on a "personal vendetta" against CAN.<ref name="quintanilla">{{cite news | last =Quintanilla | first =Ray | title =Scientologists Now Run Barrington-Based Organization – Cult Awareness Group Has New Handlers | work =[[Chicago Tribune]] | page =1 | date =February 2, 1997}}</ref> Moxon himself was a Scientologist and former official of the Church of Scientology.{{r|horne}}{{r|oxford|p=199}} "Basically, Jason said he was tired of being the [[Poster child|poster boy]] for the Scientologists. My son has never been a member of the Church of Scientology. When he was approached by Moxon, he was lured by his promises of a $1 million settlement, so he went for it", said Scott's mother Katherine Tonkin in a statement to the ''Chicago Tribune''.<ref name="quintanilla" />

=== Demise of the "Old CAN" ===
Scott sold his $1,875,000 [[United States dollar|USD]] judgment against CAN for $25,000 USD to Gerry Beany, a Scientologist represented by Moxon, whereby Beany had the largest claim against CAN in the bankruptcy proceeding. In satisfaction of that debt, CAN agreed to give Beany all of CAN's files and records. Beany, in turn, donated the records to the [[Foundation for Religious Freedom]].<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion|url = https://archive.org/details/churchofscientol0000urba|url-access = registration|publisher = Princeton University Press|date = 2011|isbn = 978-0-691-14608-9|language = en|first = Hugh B.|last = Urban|page = [https://archive.org/details/churchofscientol0000urba/page/n165 150]}}</ref>

That bankruptcy was the demise of the "Old CAN", marking the end of the [[cult wars]]—at least in North America.{{r|gallagher-melton|p=139}} Controversies surrounding [[new religious movements]] continued, but the debate thereafter largely moved to other arenas than the courts.{{r|gallagher-melton|p=139}}