Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 5

Tuesday, July 6, 2004 SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL A-5 al assault is still on staff. During this period, the plaintiff reportedly required treatment for chlamydia and refused to sign a release freeing Narconon from any legal claims. She left the program in January of this year. Narconon is certified by the state Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, which conducts biennial reviews. Narconon has not submitted its program to voluntary reviews by private accreditation firms.

Contact Tovin Lapan at tlapansantacruzsentinel.com. of the opposite sex at any time. The plaintiff, who paid $15,000 to enter the six-month program, claims she notified Narconon of Northern California Director Dan Manson of the rape. The suit says Manson sent her to a hotel room with another male staffer. After being moved to Narconon's Plac-erville facility, then back to the Watsonville-area hotel, the plaintiff sought to leave the program.

Manson said the Watsonville facility is conducting its own investigation but would not say If the therapist accused of the sexu- several times. The therapist then told her to get back on the massage table, where he allegedly pinned her hands and raped her. The suit also claims the therapist told the patient to not report the incident. The woman's lawyer, Sanford M. Clpinko of San Francisco, had no comment.

Policy violation According to Carr, Narconon has policies covering patient care and one stipulates that a therapist is not to be in a private space with a patient Lawsuit Continued from Page Al "We are taking this very seriously and are conducting an internal investigation," Narconon President Clark Carr said from the company's Los Angeles headquarters. Narconon, which has offered drug-treatment programs in California since 1970, is a subsidiary of the Association for Better Living and Education, founded in 1988. The company runs more than 100 rehabilitation and drug-prevention centers worldwide, including three in California. The suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages for the alleged assault and 15 other charges, including infliction of emotional distress Hubbard, the father of Scientology. According to the book, during a touch assist, a therapist places a finger on the patient and says "feel my finger." The patient acknowledges the presence of the finger and this allegedly helps release blocked energy.

The process continues until the client feels better. According to the Narconon of Northern California Web site, assists are part of a therapeutic process used to get the body's natural healing process operating again. The plaintiff alleges she was told to lie on a massage table. The suit alleges the therapist then rubbed his penis on the woman's arms and legs. She became upset and told him to "please quit." According to court documents, the woman tried to flee but the therapist caught her and brought her back to the room.

She felt 111 and vomited and negligence. If the plaintiff prevails, punitive damages are awarded based on the wealth of the defendant Narconon of Northern California and Narconon International reported assets of $1.6 million and $1 million to the IRS in 2002, respectively. Involved an 'assist' The suit, filed June 9, alleges a Narconon drug therapist visited the patient's room at 11 p.m. Nov. 16, 2003, and told her she needed an "assist." The therapist is included in the suit but is not identified.

Narconon practices various types of "assists," a treatment method described in L. Ron Hubbard's "Scientology Handbook." Narconon states it is a secular organization, but says that its drug-treatment methods are based on the research and writings of SKYLIGHT GLASS TnTxfn fl-1 QVERHERD DOOR WINDOW-FASHIONS BlliidaShadM 6BB-589Z Skylight tWIadom liiy Factory Direct Save LSaleaJLllepalr: www.Aott0door.com Sale Starts Wednesday, July 7 easyspirit entirestock i- easysummersal i A 29.99-39.99 Sale 29.99 Sale 39.99 Sale 39.99 "Squint" "Desiree" "Jenni" -'Yn Assorted.colors. Assorted colors. Assorted colors. CfT7' Reg.39.99 p'll4v, Reg.59:99 'U Sale 39.99 Sale 39.99 Sale 39.99 "Jeromie" "Energetic" "Mica" Assorted cobra Black or white.

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