Letter to the editor
http://factsource.com/cut/class.action/kp.7.19.01.html
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 19:27:54 -0600
From: Kenneth Paolini <paolini@factsource.com>
To: Livingston Enterprise <enterprise@livent.net>


Editor:

Your article on a potential class-action lawsuit against Church Universal and Triumphant needs clarification.

The article states, "The 10 questions were prepared with the help of two lawyers." These questions were written and prepared entirely by the lawyers.

The article quotes me saying that tens of thousands of questionnaires could be completed. This is not correct. What I said was that if this goes to court and the judge certifies a class, that this could encompass possibly tens of thousands of people. Those people would be contacted and told that they would have the option of participating or not because they were members during the period of time specified by the definition of the class.

Both Peter Arnone and I want to make it clear that we are not the issue here. CUT may want it to look like the potential lawsuit is from a couple of people with "axes to grind," but that's not the case. Peter and I probably don't even qualify for this action because of the statutes of limitations. My role is to publicize the potential class-action lawsuit, provide information, and facilitate communication among the parties.

For years, Peter and I have heard from many members and ex-members who have expressed a desire for CUT to be held accountable for their actions and representations, but they didn't know how to proceed. This invitation to assemble a class-action lawsuit is at their behest and for their benefit. We are not the issue. This is about an opportunity for people who gave their time, money, and effort to help create the tens of millions of dollars of assets CUT enjoys today to recover some compensation for their efforts and sacrifices.

It is difficult for some to understand the depth of sacrifice members of CUT made--remember the bomb shelter crisis? This was not your typical church-down-the-street. There were many levels of membership, so, yes, some people attended services and lived relatively normal lives. But others sacrificed their spouses, children, careers, native countries, savings, and their very lives in service to the promises of the group's leaders. Countless cases of broken promises, shattered dreams, and outright deception have left many wondering what went wrong.

These are the voices behind this potential lawsuit, and if this case comes to trial, those voices will be heard.

--
Kenneth Paolini
333-4475
Pray, Montana

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