Suit Seeks Damages From California Cult

Courthouse News Service today reports on a lawsuit filed in state court in Riverside, California by Linda Grindstaff against "Emissaries of Divine Light", a California spiritual group which Grinstaff characterizes as a cult.  The complaint outlines an elaborate series of events involving Grinstaff donating $50,000 to the cult, and her then being defrauded out of her home which she built on property purchased by the cult with her donated funds. She was manipulated into performing menial work without pay for the cult for some 50 hours per week, and paying additional amounts for food and medical care. The cult also was allegedly responsible for destroying Grindstaff's marriage by encouraging her husband to have sex with many women he counseled. The suit alleges breach of contract, fraud, and infliction of emotional distress, and seeks a variety of relief including quieting title to Grinstaff's home, a constructive trust and punitive damages.