Leah Remini Reportedly Wants to Call Tom Cruise as Witness in Scientology Lawsuit
Sources close to Remini say she hopes Cruise will testify about an incident at his wedding in 2006, after which she says she was detained by the church.
Actress Leah Remini filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology last week and rumors of her legal strategy have begun to trickle out. According to a report by The New York Post, Remini hopes to call actor Tom Cruise as a witness if the case goes to trial. An insider said that Remini hopes Cruise will testify about how she was treated after his wedding to Katie Holmes in 2006.
Remini filed her lawsuit on Tuesday, Aug. 1 against the church itself and its leader David Miscavige. She accuses the organization of stalking, harassing, intimidating and spying on her for years, and of defamation. Remini was raised as a member of the church in a largely Scientologist community, but she left its ranks in 2013 and has been outspoken against it ever since. She has detailed her own story and the stories of other former church members on her series Scientology and the Aftermath.
A source close to Remini told the Post that she hopes to get Cruise on the stand and get him to testify about a conversation at his own wedding in 2006. She says that during the celebration, she asked about the whereabouts of Miscavige's wife, Shelly, who has not been seen in public for years. Remini claims that after asking questions publicly at Cruise's wedding, she was held at a Scientology facility for four months and "psychologically punished."
"I think that Leah will call Tom to be a witness," a source close to her said. "She claims that she was abused after his wedding, so why wouldn't she call him? He's a part of this."
Remini has not been kind to Cruise in her writing or on her TV show, describing him at times as "essentially second in command" of the Church of Scientology. However, Cruise has refused to publicly discuss his religion altogether since 2008. The church released a long statement refuting Remini's lawsuit last week but did not address reports that she would call Cruise as a witness.
The case of Shelly Miscavige is a controversial topic all on its own when it comes to Scientology. She was last seen in public in 2007, allegedly after an argument with her husband. The official position of the church has been that she is living a private life devoted to religious contemplation, but former members like Remini have long questioned whether she is doing so by choice. Multiple missing person reports about Shelly have been closed over the years.
Bringing up this sensational topic in her own lawsuit is a bold strategy for Remini, but it may get more eyes on her case as well. The lawsuit is being processed and it's not clear when it might move forward in the courts.