Opinion ID: 1311766
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Reliance on Initial Misrepresentations

Text: In granting summary judgment on the fraud cause of action, the trial court found that appellants, by their own admissions, joined the Unification Church (Church) because that Association satisfied personal concerns and anxieties both were experiencing; it did not find they joined in reliance on the initial misrepresentations of the recruiters. This finding of the trial court is well supported by the record. Molko's deposition reveals that his reason for accepting the invitation to participate was to improve himself and to become a better person. As early as the second day spent in Boonville, Molko already felt involved and was attracted to the group because of the brotherly love experienced there. Although the regimented life was not entirely to his liking, he stayed there because: (1) he was thinking about the meaning of his life; (2) he was curious; and (3) he wanted to know people better, especially Bethie Rubenstein and Gloria LaGrasse who were fascinating, intelligent  a joy to be with. On learning within less than two weeks that the group belonged to the Moonies, Molko (while admittedly confused a bit) took a wait and see attitude, remained with the group and repeatedly rejected calls coming from friends and parents imploring him to quit. Leal accepted the initial invitation also for personal reasons. She had little emotional and psychological support from her family and was longing for affection and understanding. She left San Diego, a cold and impersonal city in search of a community. She went to Boonville to learn how a community gets together to actually accomplish something. By the fourth day she felt completely involved. She was attracted by the sincere, affectionate attention she received from the group and stayed there because she was happy and grew attached to the group which overwhelmed her with praise and love and promised to take care of her and provide all the things she had ever wanted. In addition, she was impressed by the commitment and hard work of the others, and was anxious to prove herself worthy of their attention. Also, she found the relinquishment of individual responsibility and the acceptance of a group identity to be true happiness, akin to the joy of childhood. In her own words: Departing from Boonville was prevented as a result of large doses of attention and listening and care such as that between highly expressive, loving friends or family. Despite these undisputed facts the majority maintains that appellants' behavior following the initial fraud did not negate the element of reliance (i.e., the initial fraud was not cured); they conclude that as a result of the Church's initial heavenly deception (i.e., fraudulent conduct), appellants were placed in a situation where they were brainwashed and thereby deprived of their independent judgment. The majority predicates this brainwashing theory primarily upon appellants' declarations that due to the rigid indoctrination, psychological and emotional pressure, they lost their ability to freely decide to stay with the group and, instead, they acted in a robot-like manner. Such conclusion fails to withstand critical analysis. Under the widely adopted view, the fact that the religious belief does not originate in a voluntary choice does not, as a rule, raise a presumption of incapacity to affirm the belief as one's own. (Shapiro, Mind Control or Intensity of Faith: The Constitutional Protection of Religious Beliefs (1978) 13 Harv. Civ. Liberties L.Rev. 751, 789.) To the contrary, it has been said that An intentional deception should not justify impinging upon a convert's ideas, so long as the convert has the ability to affirm his faith after the deception is realized. If he retains his personhood [i.e., the capacity to evaluate the commitment], ... he can still adopt or ratify the beliefs as his own. (Shapiro, Of Robots, Persons and the Protection of Religious Beliefs (1982-1983) 56 So.Cal.L.Rev. 1277, 1295.) By illustration, Mr. Shapiro points out that if the proselytizer had offered merely a self-improvement course and the subsequent banquet and lectures in fact had aimed at converting the recruit to a religion, the deceptiveness of the introduction would be immaterial as long as the convert would be still capable of adopting or affirming his belief. ( Ibid. ) The evidence before us, including appellants' depositions, clearly indicates that the Church's indoctrination did not render appellants mindless puppets or robot-like creatures. Instead, it shows that both before and after the disclosure of the group's true identity, both appellants retained their ability to think, to evaluate the events and to exercise their independent judgment. For example, the record reveals that on the first two days in Boonville Molko became so dissatisfied with the regimented life that he decided to return to San Francisco. He discussed his decision with two other members of the group. While he was advised that he was free to leave, he decided to stay because he was persuaded that it was to his own benefit to do so. Also, during the first week in Boonville Molko expressed with other people (although in private) his resentment about the lectures and regimentation and on noticing that he was being followed by Joe Taylor, a Church member, he violently confronted him, threatening to smash him in the face. After learning that the group was connected with the Church, Molko did not simply acquiesce, but rather consulted Gloria, and his decision to stay was again the result of an evaluation of this turn of events. Lastly, despite all the lectures, discussion and other forms of indoctrination, Molko still doubted that Reverend Moon was the new Messiah and he shared his doubts with other Church members as well, including Gloria and Victoria. The deposition testimony of appellant Leal is likewise replete with facts indicating that her joining the Church did not rest upon reliance on the initial representation, but rather her conscious evaluation and adoption of the Church's teachings. In view of this sworn testimony, the unsupported allegations of brainwashing in appellants' pleadings and declarations should not be deemed sufficient to raise that triable issue of material fact which requires reversal of the grant of summary judgment.