SAN FRANCISCO, April 14 (UPI) -- A California judge has ordered a former member and longtime critic of the Church of Scientology to pay it $500,000 for criticizing the group.
Superior Court Judge Lynn Duryee issued the order in a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Scientology defector Gerald Armstrong, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday.
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The Scientologists had sought $10 million from Armstrong, who joined in 1969, left in 1981 and later became a prominent critic.
In settling that case, Armstrong had agreed to return the documents and not speak about Scientology -- or else pay $50,000 for every such utterance.
On Tuesday, Duryee ordered Armstrong to pay $500,000 to the Scientologists.
