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{{cite news | last=Ortega| first=Tony | title=Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlatans. Clients of deprogrammer Rick Ross call him a savior. Perhaps that's why people he's branded cult leaders want to crucify him. | date=[[1995-11-30]]| accessdate=2006-04-27 | publisher=[[Phoenix New Times]] | url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/content/printVersion/162339}}
{{cite news | last=Ortega| first=Tony | title=Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlatans. Clients of deprogrammer Rick Ross call him a savior. Perhaps that's why people he's branded cult leaders want to crucify him. | date=[[1995-11-30]]| accessdate=2006-04-27 | publisher=[[Phoenix New Times]] | url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/content/printVersion/162339}}
</ref>
</ref>
In 1995, Ross became bankrupt due to the substantial damages awarded against him in a civil trial related to the unsuccessful deprogramming of Jason Scott, an 18-year-old member of a [[United Pentecostal Church]] in [[Bellevue, Washington]]. An earlier criminal trial related to the [[Jason Scott case]] had acquitted Ross. Ross settled with Scott for a far smaller amount in 1996.


In 1996 Ross started a website, rickross.com, which serves as a public database about controversial groups and movements. Ross has lectured at the [[University of Pennsylvania]], [[University of Chicago]] and [[University of Arizona]]<ref>[http://www.skeptictank.org/gen3/gen01749.htm Minister Sues Cult Expert], [[Palm Beach Post]], Jul 14, 2001</ref> and has testified as an expert witness in thirteen states.<ref name="BeyondBelief" /><ref>[http://www.factnet.org/cris_xpt.htm Cult Experts List], FACT.net, 2006</ref> According to his publicly posted CV, he has worked as a paid consultant for the television networks [[CBS]], [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] and [[Nippon]] of Japan; [[Miramax]]/[[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] retained him as a technical consultant [[Jane Campion]]'s film ''[[Holy Smoke!]]''.<ref name="RossBio">[http://www.rickross.com/biography.html Rick Ross's Biography]</ref> As a result of the legal risks involved, notably the vulnerability to criminal charges and civil trials for kidnapping and false imprisonment, Ross no longer advocates coercive deprogramming or involuntary interventions for adults, preferring instead voluntary [[exit counseling]] without the use of force or restraint.<ref name=intervention /> He states that despite refinement of processes over the years, exit counseling and deprogramming continue to depend on the same principles.<ref name=intervention>{{cite web | author=Rick Ross| work=Intervention | title=Deprogramming | url=http://www.rickross.com/prep_faq.html#Deprogramming | accessdate=10 August | accessyear=2005 }}</ref> Ross has been referred to as one of the most important "hardline anticultists" by [[Stuart A. Wright]].<ref name=WrightRRR />
===Bankruptcy following the Jason Scott case===

=== Rick A. Ross Institute===<!-- [[Darcy LaPier]] links to this section -->
Ross moved to [[New Jersey]] in 2001 and two years later founded the Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults and Controversial Groups and Movements, a nonprofit, [[501(c)(3)]] public charity located in New Jersey, USA. It has the stated mission of "public education and research", largely accomplished through the rickross.com website. The Advisory Board of the RRI includes [[Ford Greene]], a California attorney specialized in cult-related litigation, as well as [[Flo Conway]] and [[Jim Siegelman]], co-authors of the books ''[[Snapping|Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change]]'' and ''Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics and Our Private Lives''. Psychologist [[Margaret Singer]] also served as a board member of the Institute until her death in 2003.

==Notable cases ==
===The Jason Scott case===
{{main|Jason Scott case}}
{{main|Jason Scott case}}


In 1995, Ross filed for personal bankruptcy following a substantial damages award against him in a civil trial related to the unsuccessful deprogramming of Jason Scott, an 18-year-old member of a [[United Pentecostal Church]] in [[Bellevue, Washington]].<ref name="goodstein"/><ref name=Shupe180-184>
In January 1991, Ross attempted an involuntary deprogramming of Jason Scott, an 18-year-old member of the Life Tabernacle Church, affiliated with the [[United Pentecostal Church]] International.<ref name=Haines /><ref name=Kent>{{Citation
| last = Kent
| first = Stephen A.
| author-link = Stephen A. Kent
| last2 = Krebs
| first2 = Theresa
| author2-link =
| title = When Scholars Know Sin. Alternative Religions and Their Academic Supporters
| journal = [[Skeptic (U.S. magazine)|Skeptic]]
| volume = 6
| issue = 3
| pages =
| date =
| year = 1998
| url = http://www.apologeticsindex.org/c25.html
| doi =
| id = }}</ref>
Ross was hired by Kathy Tonkin, Scott's mother, who had joined the church with her six children in 1989, but had since withdrawn from it.<ref name=Haines />
A volunteer for the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) introduced Tonkin to Ross.<ref name=Shupe180-184>
{{cite book
{{cite book
| last = Shupe
| last = Shupe
Line 130: Line 155:
| url =
| url =
| doi =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0-7658-0323-2 }}. The account given in Shupe/Darnell is "based closely on court documents and testimonies, including Scott's own under-oath account of his deprogramming experience." The court documents referred to are cited on page 194 of Shupe/Darnell.</ref><ref>
| id = ISBN 0-7658-0323-2 }}. The account given in Shupe/Darnell is "based closely on court documents and testimonies, including Scott's own under-oath account of his deprogramming experience." The court documents referred to are cited on page 194 of Shupe/Darnell.</ref><ref name=Appeal>{{cite web
| last =
{{cite news | last=Knapp | first=Dan | title=Group that once criticized Scientologists now owned by one | date=[[1996-12-19]] | publisher=[[CNN]] | url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9612/19/scientology/ }}</ref> The complaint alleged that Scott was [[handcuff]]ed, had [[duct tape]] placed over his mouth, and was held in a seaside cottage for five days where he was restrained and told he would only be released when the deprogramming was completed.<ref>{{cite news | last=Narinsky | first=Judy | title=Q & A Brainwashed. Rick Ross talks about deprogramming members of religious cults | date=[[1995-11-01]] | publisher=Willamette Week | url= }}, as hosted on rickross.com</ref><ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn>{{cite journal
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT: JASON SCOTT, Plaintiff-Appellee v. RICK ROSS, A/K/A/ RICKEY ALLEN ROSS, MARK WORKMAN, CHARLES SIMPSON, Defendants, CULT AWARENESS NETWORK, Defendant-Appellant
| work =
| publisher = [[CESNUR]]
| date =
| url = http://www.cesnur.org/press/Scott.htm
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 2008-10-13}}</ref><ref name=Cockburn /> Ross abducted Scott with the help of three associates.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Bromley>{{cite book
| last = Bromley
| first = David G.
| authorlink = David G. Bromley
| coauthors =
| title = The Politics of Religious Apostasy
| publisher = [[Greenwood Publishing Group]]
| date = 2003
| location = Westport, CT
| pages = pp. 99–100
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0275955087 }}</ref><ref name=Cockburn>{{cite journal
| last = Cockburn
| last = Cockburn
| first = Alexander
| first = Alexander
Line 148: Line 196:
| id =
| id =
| accessdate = }}
| accessdate = }}
</ref>
</ref><ref name=Bromley>{{cite book
Scott was [[handcuff]]ed, had [[duct tape]] placed over his mouth, and was held in a seaside cottage where he was restrained and told he would only be released when the deprogramming was completed.<ref>
| last = Bromley
{{cite news | last=Narinsky | first=Judy | title=Q & A Brainwashed. Rick Ross talks about deprogramming members of religious cults | date=[[1995-11-01]] | publisher=Willamette Week | url= }}, as hosted on rickross.com</ref><ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn /><ref name=Bromley /> Scott claimed he was then subjected "to a nearly constant barrage of verbal abuse intended to force Scott to renounce his faith."<ref name=Haines /> After five days of unsuccessful deprogramming, Scott escaped and called the police, who arrested Ross.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Cockburn /><ref name=Haines /><ref name=Appeal /><ref name=ortega />
| first = David G.
| authorlink = David G. Bromley
| coauthors =
| title = The Politics of Religious Apostasy
| publisher = [[Greenwood Publishing Group]]
| date = 2003
| location = Westport, CT
| pages = pp. 99–100
| url =
| doi =
| id = ISBN 0275955087 }}</ref><ref name=Haines /><ref name=Appeal>{{cite web
| last =
| first =
| authorlink =
| coauthors =
| title = UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT: JASON SCOTT, Plaintiff-Appellee v. RICK ROSS, A/K/A/ RICKEY ALLEN ROSS, MARK WORKMAN, CHARLES SIMPSON, Defendants, CULT AWARENESS NETWORK, Defendant-Appellant
| work =
| publisher = [[CESNUR]]
| date =
| url = http://www.cesnur.org/press/Scott.htm
| format =
| doi =
| accessdate = 2008-10-13}}</ref><ref name=ortega2/>In 1996 Scott reconciled with his mother and dismissed Moxon as his lawyer. Scott then settled with Ross for $5,000 plus 200 hours of Ross's professional services.<ref name=ortega2>{{cite web | first = Tony | last = Ortega | title = What's $2.995 Million Between Former Enemies? | url = http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1996-12-19/news/what-s-2-995-million-between-former-enemies/ | work = [[Phoenix New Times]] | date = 1996-12-19 | accessdate = 2008-10-21 }}</ref><ref name="goodstein">{{cite web | first = Laurie | last = Goodstein | title = New Twist In Anti-Cult Saga: Foe Is Now Ally -- Bellevue Man Who Put Group Into Bankruptcy Fires Scientology Lawyer | url = http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=2366495&date=19961223 | work = [[Washington Post]] | publisher = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1996-12-23 | accessdate = 2008-10-21 }}</ref>


Prior to the filing of the civil action, in 1993, Ross and two associates were charged with unlawful imprisonment and later acquitted.<ref>{{cite web | title = Deprogrammers Plead Not Guilty To Holding A Bellevue Teenager 5 Days, Against His Will | url = http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=1716415&date=19930817&query=Scientology | work = [[Associated Press]] | publisher = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1993-08-17 | accessdate = 2008-10-14 }}</ref><ref name=Haines>{{cite web | first = Thomas W. | last = Haines | title = 'Deprogrammer' Taken To Court -- Bellevue Man Claims Kidnap, Coercion | url = http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=2142801&date=19950921 | work = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1995-09-21 | accessdate = 2008-10-14 }}</ref><ref name=Cultbuster /><ref name=Glad>{{cite web | title = Eastside Journal – Glad It's Over | url = http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940121&slug=1890837 | work = | publisher = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1994-01-21 | accessdate = 2008-10-17 }}</ref><ref name=Cultbuster>{{cite web | title = "Cult Buster" Acquitted In Abduction | url = http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940119&slug=1890492 | work = | publisher = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1994-01-19 | accessdate = 2008-11-01 }}</ref>
In 1993, Ross and two associates were criminally charged with unlawful imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web | title = Deprogrammers Plead Not Guilty To Holding A Bellevue Teenager 5 Days, Against His Will | url = http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=1716415&date=19930817&query=Scientology | work = [[Associated Press]] | publisher = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1993-08-17 | accessdate = 2008-10-14 }}</ref><ref name=Haines>{{cite web | first = Thomas W. | last = Haines | title = 'Deprogrammer' Taken To Court -- Bellevue Man Claims Kidnap, Coercion | url = http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=2142801&date=19950921 | work = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1995-09-21 | accessdate = 2008-10-14 }}
</ref>
Ross's defence laywer argued that Ross "was hired to deprogram Scott but that others who restrained Scott were not under Ross's control."<ref name=Cultbuster /> The jury acquitted Ross; jurors said "prosecutors had not proved Ross participated in restraining Scott."<ref name=Cultbuster /><ref name=Glad>{{cite web | title = Eastside Journal – Glad It's Over | url = http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940121&slug=1890837 | work = | publisher = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1994-01-21 | accessdate = 2008-10-17 }}</ref>
Ross's associates pled guilty to [[coercion]] and were sentenced to one-year jail terms, with all but 30 days suspended.<ref name=Cultbuster>{{cite web | title = "Cult Buster" Acquitted In Abduction | url = http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19940119&slug=1890492 | work = | publisher = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1994-01-19 | accessdate = 2008-11-01 }}
</ref><ref name=Haines /><ref name=Glad />


[[Scientology|Scientologist]] [[Moxon & Kobrin|Kendrick Moxon]] filed a [[civil suit]] against Ross, his associates and CAN on behalf of Scott<ref name=ortega /> to determine whether Scott's [[civil rights]] had been violated.<ref name=Haines /> The jury held the defendants liable for [[negligence]], [[Conspiracy (crime)|conspiracy]] to deprive Scott of his rights, and the [[tort of outrage]].<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=cesnur6>
===Later Career===
{{cite web | title=Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 6)| url=http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN/02/Page06.jpg | publisher = [[CESNUR]] | accessdate=21 October | accessyear=2008 }}</ref><ref name=JSvRR>JASON SCOTT, PLAINTIFF v. RICK ROSS, A/K/A/ RICKEY ALLEN ROSS, MARK WORKMAN, CHARLES SIMPSON, CULT AWARENESS NETWORK, A CALIFORNIA NONPROFIT CORPORATION AND JOHN DOE 1–JOHN DOE 20, DEFENDANTS. Case No. C94-00796. November 29, 1995</ref><ref name=cesnur /><ref name=cesnur5>{{cite web | title=Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 5)| url=http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN/02/Page05.jpg | publisher = [[CESNUR]] | accessdate=15 October | accessyear=2008 }}
</ref>
The court awarded Scott $875,000 in [[compensatory damages|compensation]]. [[Punitive damages]] of $2,500,000 were awarded against Ross, $1,000,000 against CAN (for introducing Ross), and $250,000 against each of Ross's associates.<ref>
Scott v. Ross ([http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=9th&navby=case&no=9635050&exact=1 Ninth Circuit Panel Opinion] [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=9th&navby=case&no=9635050o&exact=1 En Banc Opinions])
</ref><ref name=cesnur>
{{cite web | title=Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form| url=http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN/02/01.htm | publisher = [[CESNUR]] | accessdate=12 October | accessyear=2008 }}
</ref><ref>
{{cite web | title = Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 3)| url=http://www.cesnur.org/2001/CAN/02/Page03.jpg | accessdate=16 October | accessyear=2008 | publisher = [[CESNUR]]}}
</ref>
The judge commented that the defendants appeared unable to appreciate the maliciousness of their conduct towards Scott, preferring instead to see themselves as victims of a vendetta.<ref name=Coughenour>Scott v. Ross et al.: [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/ScottvRossOrder.pdf Court order] of Judge [[John C. Coughenour]], dated Nov. 29 1995
</ref><ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Bromley />
Hence the substantial damages awarded seemed necessary in order to deter similar conduct in future.<ref name=Coughenour /><ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref name=Bromley />
The judgment drove CAN and Ross into bankruptcy.<ref name=Shupe180-184 /><ref>
{{cite news | last=Knapp | first=Dan | title=Group that once criticized Scientologists now owned by one | date=[[1996-12-19]] | publisher=[[CNN]] | url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9612/19/scientology/ }}
</ref><ref>
'The Cult Awareness Network'', CBS News ''60 Minutes'' report 28 December 1997 [http://www.xenutv.com/us/60min-can.htm]
</ref>


In 1996 Scott reconciled with his mother and dismissed Moxon as his lawyer. He settled with Ross for $5,000 plus 200 hours of Ross's professional services.<ref name=ortega2 /><ref>
In 1996 Ross started a website, rickross.com, which serves as a public database about controversial groups and movements. Ross has lectured at the [[University of Pennsylvania]], [[University of Chicago]] and [[University of Arizona]]<ref>[http://www.skeptictank.org/gen3/gen01749.htm Minister Sues Cult Expert], [[Palm Beach Post]], Jul 14, 2001</ref> and has testified as an expert witness in thirteen states.<ref name="BeyondBelief" /><ref>[http://www.factnet.org/cris_xpt.htm Cult Experts List], FACT.net, 2006</ref> According to his publicly posted CV, he has worked as a paid consultant for the television networks [[CBS]], [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] and [[Nippon]] of Japan; [[Miramax]]/[[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] retained him as a technical consultant [[Jane Campion]]'s film ''[[Holy Smoke!]]''.<ref name="RossBio">[http://www.rickross.com/biography.html Rick Ross's Biography]</ref> As a result of the legal risks involved, notably the vulnerability to criminal charges and civil trials for kidnapping and false imprisonment, Ross no longer advocates coercive deprogramming or involuntary interventions for adults, preferring instead voluntary [[exit counseling]] without the use of force or restraint.<ref name=intervention /> He states that despite refinement of processes over the years, exit counseling and deprogramming continue to depend on the same principles.<ref name=intervention>{{cite web | author=Rick Ross| work=Intervention | title=Deprogramming | url=http://www.rickross.com/prep_faq.html#Deprogramming | accessdate=10 August | accessyear=2005 }}</ref> Ross has been referred to as one of the most important "hardline anticultists" by [[Stuart A. Wright]].<ref name=WrightRRR />
{{cite web | first = Laurie | last = Goodstein | title = New Twist In Anti-Cult Saga: Foe Is Now Ally -- Bellevue Man Who Put Group Into Bankruptcy Fires Scientology Lawyer | url = http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=2366495&date=19961223 | work = [[Washington Post]] | publisher = [[Seattle Times]] | date = 1996-12-23 | accessdate = 2008-10-21 }}
</ref><ref name=ortega /><ref name=ortega2>
{{cite web | first = Tony | last = Ortega | title = What's $2.995 Million Between Former Enemies? | url = http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1996-12-19/news/what-s-2-995-million-between-former-enemies/ | work = [[Phoenix New Times]] | date = 1996-12-19 | accessdate = 2008-10-21 }}
</ref>
Scott's new lawyer, Graham Berry, a noted opponent of Scientology, said however that "it would be a mistake to assume that Scott's decision to make use of Ross' time was a vindication of Ross or his deprogramming methods."<ref name=ortega2 />


=== Rick A. Ross Institute===<!-- [[Darcy LaPier]] links to this section -->
Ross moved to [[New Jersey]] in 2001 and two years later founded the Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults and Controversial Groups and Movements, a nonprofit, [[501(c)(3)]] public charity located in New Jersey, USA. It has the stated mission of "public education and research", largely accomplished through the rickross.com website. The Advisory Board of the RRI includes [[Ford Greene]], a California attorney specialized in cult-related litigation, as well as [[Flo Conway]] and [[Jim Siegelman]], co-authors of the books ''[[Snapping|Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change]]'' and ''Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics and Our Private Lives''. Psychologist [[Margaret Singer]] also served as a board member of the Institute until her death in 2003.

==Notable cases ==
=== Branch Davidians ===
=== Branch Davidians ===
Rick Ross became involved before and during the [[Waco Siege | standoff]] between Branch Davidians and Federal Law Enforcement agencies, at [[Waco, Texas]]; he had previously deprogrammed a member of the group.<ref name=Tabor>{{cite book
Rick Ross became involved before and during the [[Waco Siege | standoff]] between Branch Davidians and Federal Law Enforcement agencies, at [[Waco, Texas]]; he had previously deprogrammed a member of the group.<ref name=Tabor>{{cite book

Revision as of 23:25, 4 December 2008

Template:Otherpeople4

Rick Alan Ross
Born (1952-11-24) November 24, 1952 (age 71)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation(s)Founder and Executive Director,
Rick A. Ross Institute
WebsiteCult News
The Rick A. Ross Institute

Rick Alan Ross (born 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States as Ricky Alan Ross) works as a consultant, lecturer and "intervention specialist,"[1] with an interest in exit counseling or deprogramming people from cults. He runs the CultNews.com blog[2] and in 2003 founded The Rick A. Ross Institute of New Jersey, which maintains a database about controversial groups that contains press articles, court documents, and essays.[3] He has worked as an expert court witness and as an analyst for the media in cases relating to such groups.[4]

In 1995 Ross's role in the Jason Scott "deprogramming" case resulted in his bankruptcy after a jury in a civil suit filed by Scott awarded substantial damages against him. Ross's involvement in the ill-fated Waco Siege involving the Branch Davidians has drawn critical comment from a number of religious scholars and sociologists, and he has been referred to as one of the most important "hardline anticultists".[5] Groups referred to on Ross's website have sued him unsuccessfully.

Life and work

Early life

Paul and Ethel Ross adopted Rick Ross in 1953 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ross family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1956, where Ross grew up and attended school.[6] Ross's formal education extended through high school, which he completed in 1971. He then worked for a finance company and for a bank.[6][4] In 1974 a court convicted Ross for the attempted burglary of a vacant model home and sentenced him to probation.[4] The following year he was sentenced to five years' probation for his involvement in a jewelry embezzlement scheme at a retail store in Arizona.[4][7] Ross has openly admitted making mistakes: "I had been in trouble as a young man, and I turned my life around ... I never again in my life made another mistake like that."[7] In 1983, the Maricopa County Superior Court vacated both judgments of guilt in the absence of any opposition, dismissed the charges and restored Ross's civil rights.[8] In 1975, Ross began work for a cousin's car-salvage business, eventually becoming company vice president.[6][4] He continued working in this field until 1982.[6]

Early career

Ross says he first became concerned about controversial religious groups in 1982. Jewish Voice Broadcast, a missionary group founded by an Assembly of God minister named Louis Kaplan,[9] specifically targeted Jews for conversion to Pentecostalism. The group infiltrated the Jewish nursing home where Ross's grandmother lived.[10][6][4] After bringing the matter to the attention of the director and of the local Jewish community, Ross successfully campaigned to have the group's activities stopped.[6][4] He then began working as a volunteer, lecturer and researcher for a variety of Jewish organizations.[4] He worked for the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix,[11][12] and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) appointed him to two national committees focusing on cults and interreligious affairs.[13] During the 1980s Ross represented the Jewish community on the Religious Advisory Committee of the Arizona Department of Corrections, being elected its chairman later on,[14] and served as chairman of the International Coalition of Jewish Prisoners Programs sponsored by B'nai Brith in Washington D.C. Ross's work within the prison system included inmate religious rights and educational efforts regarding hate groups.[15] Ross also worked as a member of the professional staff of the Jewish Family and Children's Service (JFCS) and the Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) in Phoenix, Arizona.[16]

Full-time private consultant and lecturer

In 1986 Ross left the staff of the JFCS and BJE to become a full-time private consultant and deprogrammer.[6][4] As part of his work he undertook a number of involuntary deprogramming interventions at the request of parents whose children had joined controversial groups and movements.[6][4] One of these cases, the successful deprogramming of a 14-year-old whom his mother felt a Bible-based cult had "brainwashed", featured in an edition of 48 Hours.[17] As of 2004, Ross had handled more than 350 deprogramming cases in various countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and Italy, with a typical cost of around $5,000 per case (in 2008 dollars).[18][4] Ross claims a success-rate of 75 per cent, and has been credited with having "rescued many people from harmful situations".[19]

In 1992 and 1993, Ross gained a high public profile due to his involvement in the events surrounding David Koresh and the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas; the broadcaster CBS hired him as an on-scene analyst for their coverage of the Waco siege, and he also reportedly acted as a consultant to the FBI.[4][20] In 1995, Ross became bankrupt due to the substantial damages awarded against him in a civil trial related to the unsuccessful deprogramming of Jason Scott, an 18-year-old member of a United Pentecostal Church in Bellevue, Washington. An earlier criminal trial related to the Jason Scott case had acquitted Ross. Ross settled with Scott for a far smaller amount in 1996.

In 1996 Ross started a website, rickross.com, which serves as a public database about controversial groups and movements. Ross has lectured at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago and University of Arizona[21] and has testified as an expert witness in thirteen states.[4][22] According to his publicly posted CV, he has worked as a paid consultant for the television networks CBS, CBC and Nippon of Japan; Miramax/Disney retained him as a technical consultant Jane Campion's film Holy Smoke!.[6] As a result of the legal risks involved, notably the vulnerability to criminal charges and civil trials for kidnapping and false imprisonment, Ross no longer advocates coercive deprogramming or involuntary interventions for adults, preferring instead voluntary exit counseling without the use of force or restraint.[23] He states that despite refinement of processes over the years, exit counseling and deprogramming continue to depend on the same principles.[23] Ross has been referred to as one of the most important "hardline anticultists" by Stuart A. Wright.[5]

Rick A. Ross Institute

Ross moved to New Jersey in 2001 and two years later founded the Rick A. Ross Institute for the Study of Destructive Cults and Controversial Groups and Movements, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) public charity located in New Jersey, USA. It has the stated mission of "public education and research", largely accomplished through the rickross.com website. The Advisory Board of the RRI includes Ford Greene, a California attorney specialized in cult-related litigation, as well as Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman, co-authors of the books Snapping: America's Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change and Holy Terror: The Fundamentalist War on America's Freedoms in Religion, Politics and Our Private Lives. Psychologist Margaret Singer also served as a board member of the Institute until her death in 2003.

Notable cases

The Jason Scott case

Main article: Jason Scott case

In January 1991, Ross attempted an involuntary deprogramming of Jason Scott, an 18-year-old member of the Life Tabernacle Church, affiliated with the United Pentecostal Church International.[24][25] Ross was hired by Kathy Tonkin, Scott's mother, who had joined the church with her six children in 1989, but had since withdrawn from it.[24] A volunteer for the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) introduced Tonkin to Ross.[26][27][28] Ross abducted Scott with the help of three associates.[26][29][28] Scott was handcuffed, had duct tape placed over his mouth, and was held in a seaside cottage where he was restrained and told he would only be released when the deprogramming was completed.[30][26][28][29] Scott claimed he was then subjected "to a nearly constant barrage of verbal abuse intended to force Scott to renounce his faith."[24] After five days of unsuccessful deprogramming, Scott escaped and called the police, who arrested Ross.[26][28][24][27][20]

In 1993, Ross and two associates were criminally charged with unlawful imprisonment.[31][24] Ross's defence laywer argued that Ross "was hired to deprogram Scott but that others who restrained Scott were not under Ross's control."[32] The jury acquitted Ross; jurors said "prosecutors had not proved Ross participated in restraining Scott."[32][33] Ross's associates pled guilty to coercion and were sentenced to one-year jail terms, with all but 30 days suspended.[32][24][33]

Scientologist Kendrick Moxon filed a civil suit against Ross, his associates and CAN on behalf of Scott[20] to determine whether Scott's civil rights had been violated.[24] The jury held the defendants liable for negligence, conspiracy to deprive Scott of his rights, and the tort of outrage.[26][34][35][36][37] The court awarded Scott $875,000 in compensation. Punitive damages of $2,500,000 were awarded against Ross, $1,000,000 against CAN (for introducing Ross), and $250,000 against each of Ross's associates.[38][36][39] The judge commented that the defendants appeared unable to appreciate the maliciousness of their conduct towards Scott, preferring instead to see themselves as victims of a vendetta.[40][26][29] Hence the substantial damages awarded seemed necessary in order to deter similar conduct in future.[40][26][29] The judgment drove CAN and Ross into bankruptcy.[26][41][42]

In 1996 Scott reconciled with his mother and dismissed Moxon as his lawyer. He settled with Ross for $5,000 plus 200 hours of Ross's professional services.[43][44][20][43] Scott's new lawyer, Graham Berry, a noted opponent of Scientology, said however that "it would be a mistake to assume that Scott's decision to make use of Ross' time was a vindication of Ross or his deprogramming methods."[43]

Branch Davidians

Rick Ross became involved before and during the standoff between Branch Davidians and Federal Law Enforcement agencies, at Waco, Texas; he had previously deprogrammed a member of the group.[45][46] Scholars of religion and sociology have commented unfavorably on his involvement. Professors of Religious Studies James D. Tabor and Eugene V. Gallagher, writing in Why Waco? (1997, University of California Press), saw Ross, acting as an informant for government agencies and media journalists, as instrumental in establishing a stereotypical image of Koresh as a dangerous cult leader, using the generalized pattern of a destructive cult, and opined that Ross's activities, along with those of apostates, significantly shaped the viewpoints of government parties acting in the case.[45] Tabor and Gallagher pointed to the financial and ideological stakes anticult workers like Ross have in "cultbusting" and suggested the evaluation of his statements in this light.[45] Nancy Ammerman, a professor of sociology of religion and one of four experts commissioned to author a report to the Justice and Treasury Departments on events in Waco, similarly voiced criticism of the BATF and FBI for relying on Ross without taking these stakes into account.[45][47][48]

George D. Chryssides expressed the opinion that the authorities' confrontational approach led to the Waco tragedy, and that the advice they received from Ross undoubtedly exacerbated the situation.[49] He stated that Ross endorsed the view that the community in Waco would become another Jonestown, and that it stood ready for mass suicide.[49] Chryssides took the view that the involvement of an academic adviser more familiar with the religious ideas preached at Waco might have led to a less tragic outcome.[49] Similar criticisms concerning Ross's bias and lack of qualifications to act as an adviser to the BATF and FBI in Waco have come from Catherine Wessinger (Loyola University New Orleans),[50][51] the political scientist George Michael,[52] and James R. Lewis in a book edited by Stuart A. Wright.[53]

In a 1995 letter to the editor of the Washington Post, Ross asserted that government agencies had interviewed him because of his five years' experience dealing directly with Davidians.[54] He said the agencies failed to appreciate the cult dynamic, and had dealt with the stand-off as a terrorist hostage-rescue situation.[54] Ross further characterized his critics as cult apologists who subscribed to the theory that cult groups "should not be held accountable for their action like others within our society".[54]

Landmark Education

For details see Landmark Education - Legal disputes - Rick Ross Institute

In June 2004, Landmark Education filed a US$1 million lawsuit against the Rick A. Ross Institute, claiming that the Institute's online archives damaged Landmark Education's product. In December 2005, Landmark Education filed to dismiss its own lawsuit with prejudice, supposedly on the grounds that a material change in caselaw regarding statements made on the Internet occurred in January 2005.

NXIVM Corp. v. Ross

NXIVM offers an exclusive and costly seminar training program, "Executive Success".[55] Ross obtained a copy of the course manual from a former program participant, and commissioned psychologist Paul Martin and psychiatrist John Hochman to write an analysis and critique of the manual.[55] Ross's websites published the reports and quoted sections of the manual to support the analyses and criticisms.[56][57][55] The websites also contained statements which, NXIVM alleged, misled readers into thinking of the Executive Success program as a "cult".[55] In 2003, NXIVM sued Ross and a number of co-defendants for, among others, copyright infringement, trademark disparagement and product disparagement, and sought an injunction to have the material removed.[55] The court denied the injunction, the judge ruling that the use of quotations constituted fair use.[55] In 2004 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the ruling on appeal, stating that any damage to the market for NXIVM's product resulted from criticism, which weighed in favor of fair use, rather than substitution (which would have weighed against fair use).[55] Later that year, the United States Supreme Court refused to review the case.[55] NXIVM then filed an amended complaint, parts of which the court dismissed; litigation continues as of 2008.[55]

Articles and publications


References

  1. ^ Curriculum Vitae of Rick Ross." Accessed 26 February 2008 at http://www.cultinformation.org.uk/articles.html
  2. ^ Cult News website
  3. ^ "Information Database". www.rickross.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Johnstone, Nick (2004-12-12). "Beyond Belief". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  5. ^ a b Wright, Stuart A. 1997. Media Coverage of Unconventional Religion: Any "Good News" for Minority Faiths? Review of Religious Research 39, no. 2:101-115, p. 102.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rick Ross's Biography
  7. ^ a b Willis, Stacy J. Arrival of cult specialist in Las Vegas stirs debate, Las Vegas Sun, 24 August 2001
  8. ^ Maricopa County, Superior Court ruling
  9. ^ "Pastor Gil Kaplan". buildersofunity.org. Builders of Unity Ministries International. Retrieved 2008-11-15. After the Kaplan's moved to Arizona in 1953, Louis Kaplan founded and directed what became an international Messianic television and radio ministry known as the Jewish Voice Broadcast, which later became known as Jewish Voice Ministries International which continues to air in many countries today. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ Evans, Pete (Nov./Dec. 2004). "The Door interview with Rick Ross". The Door Magazine. Retrieved 2008-11-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ Taking Aim: Efforts to convert Jews draw fire from interdenominational group, The Arizona Republic, 1982, by Richard Lessner, as hosted on rickross.com
  12. ^ Cleveland Jewish News, 29 July 2004. KABBALAH CENTRE hawks 'snake oil for the soul
  13. ^ "Challenging Cults, Cultivating Family", The Greater Phoenix Jewish News, February, 1989, by Elaine DeRosa, as hosted on rickross.com
  14. ^ "Ross to head religious committee for state corrections department", Greater Phoenix Jewish News, 12 March 1986, as hosted on rickross.com
  15. ^ "Three Nation Umbrella Org. to Aid Jewish Prison Inmates, Families", National "Jewish Press", April 1986, as hosted on rickross.com
  16. ^ Curriculum Vitae, Rick Ross web site
  17. ^ Goodman, Walter (1989-06-01). "Review/Television; Trying to Pry a Youth Away From a Cult". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  18. ^ Ross, Rick. "Intervention: Costs". Retrieved 2008-11-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ Johnstone, Nick (2004-12-12). "Beyond Belief". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-10-24. [...] taking into account his claimed 75 per cent success rate for interventions (he has worked on more than 350 cases, at a typical cost of $5,000, everywhere from the US to the UK, Israel to Italy), he has rescued many people from harmful situations [...]
  20. ^ a b c d Ortega, Tony (1995-11-30). "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlatans. Clients of deprogrammer Rick Ross call him a savior. Perhaps that's why people he's branded cult leaders want to crucify him". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2006-04-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Minister Sues Cult Expert, Palm Beach Post, Jul 14, 2001
  22. ^ Cult Experts List, FACT.net, 2006
  23. ^ a b Rick Ross. "Deprogramming". Intervention. Retrieved 10 August. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ a b c d e f g Haines, Thomas W. (1995-09-21). "'Deprogrammer' Taken To Court -- Bellevue Man Claims Kidnap, Coercion". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  25. ^ Kent, Stephen A.; Krebs, Theresa (1998), "When Scholars Know Sin. Alternative Religions and Their Academic Supporters", Skeptic, 6 (3)
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h Shupe, Anson (2006). Agents of Discord. New Brunswick (U.S.A.), London (U.K.): Transaction Publishers. pp. pp. 180–184. ISBN 0-7658-0323-2. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help). The account given in Shupe/Darnell is "based closely on court documents and testimonies, including Scott's own under-oath account of his deprogramming experience." The court documents referred to are cited on page 194 of Shupe/Darnell.
  27. ^ a b "UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT: JASON SCOTT, Plaintiff-Appellee v. RICK ROSS, A/K/A/ RICKEY ALLEN ROSS, MARK WORKMAN, CHARLES SIMPSON, Defendants, CULT AWARENESS NETWORK, Defendant-Appellant". CESNUR. Retrieved 2008-10-13. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ a b c d Cockburn, Alexander (1996-08-26). "Vindication II: That Fool Adolph". The Nation. 263 (6). The Nation Company L.P.: p. 8. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  29. ^ a b c d Bromley, David G. (2003). The Politics of Religious Apostasy. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. pp. 99–100. ISBN 0275955087. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  30. ^ Narinsky, Judy (1995-11-01). "Q & A Brainwashed. Rick Ross talks about deprogramming members of religious cults". Willamette Week. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help), as hosted on rickross.com
  31. ^ "Deprogrammers Plead Not Guilty To Holding A Bellevue Teenager 5 Days, Against His Will". Associated Press. Seattle Times. 1993-08-17. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  32. ^ a b c ""Cult Buster" Acquitted In Abduction". Seattle Times. 1994-01-19. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  33. ^ a b "Eastside Journal – Glad It's Over". Seattle Times. 1994-01-21. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
  34. ^ "Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 6)". CESNUR. Retrieved 21 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ JASON SCOTT, PLAINTIFF v. RICK ROSS, A/K/A/ RICKEY ALLEN ROSS, MARK WORKMAN, CHARLES SIMPSON, CULT AWARENESS NETWORK, A CALIFORNIA NONPROFIT CORPORATION AND JOHN DOE 1–JOHN DOE 20, DEFENDANTS. Case No. C94-00796. November 29, 1995
  36. ^ a b "Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form". CESNUR. Retrieved 12 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ "Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 5)". CESNUR. Retrieved 15 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ Scott v. Ross (Ninth Circuit Panel Opinion En Banc Opinions)
  39. ^ "Scott vs. Ross, Workman, Simpson, Cult Awareness Network: Verdict form (page 3)". CESNUR. Retrieved 16 October. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ a b Scott v. Ross et al.: Court order of Judge John C. Coughenour, dated Nov. 29 1995
  41. ^ Knapp, Dan (1996-12-19). "Group that once criticized Scientologists now owned by one". CNN. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ 'The Cult Awareness Network, CBS News 60 Minutes report 28 December 1997 [1]
  43. ^ a b c Ortega, Tony (1996-12-19). "What's $2.995 Million Between Former Enemies?". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  44. ^ Goodstein, Laurie (1996-12-23). "New Twist In Anti-Cult Saga: Foe Is Now Ally -- Bellevue Man Who Put Group Into Bankruptcy Fires Scientology Lawyer". Washington Post. Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-10-21.
  45. ^ a b c d Tabor, James D. (1997). Why Waco?. University of California Press. pp. pp. 93–96, 138–139, 233. ISBN 0520208994. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  46. ^ US Department of Justice, Report to the Deputy Attorney General on the Events at Waco, Texas: Part IV, The Role of Experts During the Standoff, 28 February to 19 April 1993. Available online
  47. ^ Report to the Justice and Treasury Departments, Nancy Ammerman, September 3, 1993, with an Addendum dated September 10, 1993
  48. ^ Waco, Federal Law Enforcement, and Scholars of Religion, Nancy Ammerman, 1993
  49. ^ a b c Chryssides, George D. (1999). Exploring New Religions. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. pp. 55–56. ISBN 0826459595. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  50. ^ Newport, Kenneth G. C. (2006). Expecting the End. Baylor University Press. pp. pp. 154–171. ISBN 1932792384. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  51. ^ Wessinger, Catherine Lowman (2000). How the Millennium Comes Violently. New York, NY/London, UK: Seven Bridges Press. pp. pp. 1, 60, 69, 98. ISBN 1889119245. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  52. ^ Michael, George (2003). Confronting Right-wing Extremism and Terrorism. New York, NY/London, UK: Routledge. pp. p. 148. ISBN 041531500X. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  53. ^ Wright, Stuart A. (ed.) (1995). Armageddon in Waco. University of Chicago Press. pp. pp. 98–100. ISBN 0226908453. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  54. ^ a b c "Letters to the Editor - What Happened at Waco". The Washington Post. 1995-07-23. Retrieved 2008-11-04. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  55. ^ a b c d e f g h i "NXIVM Corp. v. Ross". Citizen Media Law Project. 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2008-11-03. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  56. ^ Hochman, John M.D. (February 2003). "A Forensic Psychiatrist Evaluates ESP". www.rickross.com. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
  57. ^ Martin, Paul (2003-02-12). "A Critical Analysis of the Executive Success Programs Inc". www.rickross.com. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
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