Leah Remini files lawsuit alleging harassment, emotional distress against Church of Scientology

Actress Leah Remini, a longtime critic of Scientology and herself a former member of the religion, filed a lawsuit against the organization Wednesday, alleging she has been stalked and harassed since leaving the faith in 2013.

The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations include civil harassment, stalking, intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation.

Scientology leader David Miscavige also is a defendant.

The 53-year-old "The King of Queens" star seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A Scientology representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

"Here, defendants have undertaken a campaign to ruin and destroy the life and livelihood of Leah Remini, a former Scientologist of nearly 40 years, a two-time Emmy-award winning producer, actress and New York Times best-selling author, after she was deemed a suppressive person and declared fair game by Scientology in 2013, when she publicly departed Scientology...," the suit states.

For the past decade, Remini has been stalked, surveilled, harassed, threatened, intimidated, and "been the victim of intentional malicious and fraudulent rumors via hundreds of Scientology-controlled and coordinated social media accounts that exist solely to intimidate and spread misinformation," according to the suit.

The suit further alleges that Scientology has elevated the reach of some posts by using its tax-exempt funds to pay social media companies to promote them.

The organization also has "incessantly harassed, threatened, intimidated and embarrassed Ms. Remini's family members, friends, colleagues and business associates, causing her to lose personal relationships, business contracts and other business opportunities," the suit alleges.

"With this lawsuit, I hope to protect my rights as afforded by the constitution of the United States to speak the truth and report the facts about Scientology," Remini said in a prepared statement. "I feel strongly that the banner of religious freedom does not give anyone license to intimidate, harass and abuse those who exercise their First Amendment rights."

Remini released the book "Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology" in 2015, and hosted the A&E documentary series "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath" from 2016-19.