Labor and Employment Law Commons^™

Ninth Circuit Rules Against Scientology Ministers' Forced-Labor Claims In Headley V. Church Of Scientology International, Jeffrey W. Tye

Golden Gate University Law Review

In Headley v. Church of Scientology International, the Ninth Circuit faced a particularly sensitive question involving the limits of the TVPA and the application of the ministerial exception. In Headley, former ministers brought TVPA forced-labor claims against the Church of Scientology (the “Church”). The Church argued before the district court that the plaintiffs’ labor was not forced, and that the ministerial exception applied to effectively bar the plaintiffs’ claims. The district court agreed, holding that the instances of physical abuse alleged did not raise a triable issue of fact as to the Headleys’ forced-labor claims. The court also …