Three former workers for the Church of Scientology have accused the organization of indoctrinating them as kids, making it physically and psychologically impossible for them to leave what they described as a human trafficking situation. In a lawsuit filed in Florida, the plaintiffs—identified by The Sydney Morning Herald as Australian citizen Gawain Baxter and residents Laura Baxter and Valeska Paris—say they were raised within the organization and worked on its Freewinds ship after signing a standard-issue billion-year contract to provide free or underpaid labor. Aboard the ship for over a decade, the trio alleges they were prisoners in “a world filled with abuse, violence, intimidation and fear,” working for up to 18 hours at a time. One plaintiff, the suit claimed, was put in a hot engine room for days after they were accused of “monopolizing” a celebrity who was having a birthday party aboard the ship in 2004. The actor is believed to have been Tom Cruise, according to the Herald, although there was no indication he was aware of the engine room situation.
