Church of Scientology Set to Depose Phila. Attorney in Sexual Abuse Case
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The Church of Scientology on Thursday gained a win in its fight to depose Brian Kent, the founder of Philadelphia plaintiffs firm Laffey Bucci Kent, who previously represented several plaintiffs suing the organization and several affiliates over allegations of sexual abuse before being abruptly terminated from the firm in April 2024.
The underlying litigation, originally filed in California Superior Court in Los Angeles in 2022 by attorneys at Motley Rice and Edwards Pottinger, accuses the Church of Scientology, Bridge Publications, David Miscavige, Gavin Potter, and the Religious Technology Center of negligence, sexual assault, sexual battery, negligent supervision, negligent employment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud, and public nuisance.
Before exiting his firm, which now goes by Laffey Bucci D’Andrea Reich & Ryan, Kent was known for filing similar cases and representing sexual assault victims, including in cases against comedian Bill Cosby and Penn State University football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.
In the most recent court filings in the Los Angeles case, the Church of Scientology is seeking to depose Kent and the case’s anonymous plaintiff under the belief that Kent allegedly instructed the plaintiff, whom he represented in a separate case against Scientology, to delete digital communications between the two of them. That belief is based on an alleged disciplinary complaint filed against Kent in Pennsylvania, the court documents say.
Kent was never involved in the plaintiff’s representation in the Los Angeles case.
According to court records in the Los Angeles case, Judge Kevin Brazile, who is overseeing the case, overruled the plaintiff’s motion for reconsideration following a Thursday hearing, allowing the depositions of Kent and the plaintiff to go through, barring any further disputes.
Content retrieved from: https://www.law.com/thelegalintelligencer/2025/01/10/church-of-scientology-set-to-depose-phila-attorney-in-sexual-abuse-case/?slreturn=2025011174958.
