N late April, three people who grew up on a Church of Scientology ship filed a lawsuit against the organization and its leader David Miscavige, claiming they were trafficked as children and forced to do strenuous labor for little or no pay.

Now the former members—Gawain Baxter, Laura Baxter, and Valeska Paris—have filed an amended complaint detailing more accusations of abuse on the vessel, called the Freewinds, which is used by the Church of Scientology to train members who wish to reach Operating Thetan Level 8 (OT VIII), the highest level of Scientology (attaining this can cost up to $2 million). The ship is also used to house members of Sea Org, Scientology’s “fraternal religious order” and its most hardcore adherents. Freewinds was quarantined in St. Lucia in May of 2019 due to a measles outbreak onboard.

The trio claim that since filing their initial suit, the church’s operatives have harassed them and monitored their families outside their homes and in public spaces. Some of their relatives, who are still church members, have pressured them to drop the complaint or “disconnected” from them entirely, a Scientology term meaning the severing of all contact.

They are also now accusing Miscavige of concealing his whereabouts to avoid being served with their suit. ...