Earle Cooley and Boston University

Earle Cooley, chief lawyer for the evil and mysteriously tax-exempt cult of scientology, is Chairman of The Officers and Trustees of Boston University.

Cooley's 1st job is to "keep scientology working" (KSW), and I am sure that this "chair" will help him, although I don't know how:

- Using the position of chairman as entrance pass for other institutions - Using it to look like "a respected person" - Using it to decide funding of psychiatry projects - Using it to support "world literacy crusade" (a front group) - Using it to support scientologists job candidates.

Even if he doesn't misuse his position, I doubt that he is the right person for any public job in the real world.

I suggest to start activities to remove his chair from under his butt. Here is how this could be done: Alumni of BU should send a polite letter to the other members of the board (Christopher A. Barreca, John Silber, Kenneth G. Condon, Karen Elliott House, Arthur G. B. Metcalf), but also to the dean or other people with influence. Include a description of scientology, and include some documents, like the TIME magazine article, in which Cooley is featured.

Here's an excerpt from the LA Times article from Nov 5, 1985, after the confidential materials came out in a trial:

[schnip]  After the nuclear explosions, according to the documents, the thetans were trapped in a compound of frozen alcohol and glycol and, during a 36-day period, Xemu "implanted" in them the seeds of aberrant behavior for generations to come. When people die, these clusters attach to other humans and keep perpetuating themselves.

Before a Scientologist can learn about these thetans and how

to eradicate them, he must go through a progression of costly

programs.

In arguing to keep the court documents sealed, the church has told its members that it could be physically and spiritually harmful for them to learn about the upper levels of Scientology before they have mastered the preparatory courses.

Scientology's chief attorney, Earle Cooley, said outside the courtroom Monday that unsealing the materials amounted to "the biggest threat to this religion so far."

[schnip]

Here's an excerpt from The American Lawyer, July/August 1992:

[schnip]

Cooley was first hired by the church in late 1984 and, a few months later, played a key role defending the church at an Oregon trial against charges by former Scientologist Julie Christofferson-Titchbourne that, among other things, she had been subjected to fair-game tactics that resulted in intentional infliction of emotional distress -- the centerpiece allegation of most of the civil suits against the church. Cooley's goal, in part, was to show that his client's alleged tortious activities were protected First Amendment religious practices. One of his tactics: bludgeoning opposing witnesses.

New York civil liberties and criminal defense lawyer Sanford M. Katz -- who was representing the church on other unrelated cases at the time -- says he was sent out by church executives to observe the Titchbourne trial. He recalls how he watched as Cooley "battered and berated" Gerry Armstrong, who appeared as a plaintiff's witness, to the point of tears. "it was obvious that the jury was thoroughly sympathetic to the witness," Katz says. "It was also obvious that Cooley was pandering to the client. [Church leaders] hated Armstrong." When Cooley, Katz, and the church's representatives retired to their hotel later that day, Katz recalls, the clients were all "slapping Cooley on the back and telling him what a marvelous job he did.

"But I could tell they would lose and told them they should do it

differently," asserts Katz. "Because this was a conservative Oregon jury and I knew there was an identical case, an even stronger case, in Los Angeles."

Cooley has a different explanation for his roughshod cross-examination of Armstrong. "It was not done to placate or make the client happy," he says, pointing out that Katz wasn't there for the whole trial. "When the plaintiff put on her case, vicious, terrible things were said about the church that had no relation to the case. It was my judgment that there had to be a vigorous cross-examination of Armstrong that got to his credibility."

Nonetheless, Katz's prediction proved prophetic: The jury hit the church with a $39 million verdict. "It wouldn't be the first time I've misread a jury and probably won't be the last," says Cooley.

(The $39m were later overturned, and Julie settled with only $100,000)

[schnip]

Feel free to repost this in boston.general.

--- Tilman Hausherr       [KoX; awards: DB, SP decl. by Koos]

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