(AP Photo)
In the latest legal challenge, the plaintiff in the fraud case reportedly says she was approached by Scientologists on a Paris street in 1998 and offered a free personality test. She says she was pressured to spend more than $28,000 for courses, books, illegally prescribed drugs and an "electrometer" that was supposed to measure fluctuations in her mental state, according to the BBC.
Gounord said the person who is accusing Scientology of fraud and illegal practice of pharmacy has been reimbursed by Scientology. "We have never been found guilty of fraud by a court," she said.
In 2002 the organization was found to have violated France's data privacy law after a former member said he was still receiving mail from the organization despite having asked that his name be removed from their database.
The organization and the president of its Paris center were each ordered to pay $7,000, though the fines were later suspended
Gounord said the organization kept the former member's personal data by accident. "That was a technical problem," she said, "no one really understood what happened.
"It's just a lot of noise about nothing," Gounord told ABCNews.com. "The case is empty. We are not worried at all."
According to Roulet, legal procedures against Scientology are often laborious and the organization has often been acquitted.
"They have a lot of money and they can afford to pay a lot of lawyers," said Roulet.
French members of Scientology who spoke to ABCNews.com said they see themselves as victims of the French secular system and of a typically Gallic religious narrow-mindedness.
"The French system attacks minorities," said Gounord. "It is easier to attack smaller religious movements."
Scientology, founded in 1954 by American science-fiction author L. Ron Hubbard, promotes "well-being" and its own vision of a "better world" through collective spiritual sessions, readings and social actions.
The first Scientologist church in France was open in 1959.
"I would like France to be more like the United States," said Paris-based Scientology member Michel Raoust, "where there is more tolerance towards religions."
"I cannot even consider the end of Scientology in France," said Raoust. "The truth will be known, and the truth is that we are a religion of goodwill."
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