San Diego County Sale of Cult Goods OKd
Possessions left behind by the Heaven’s Gate suicide cult belong to the county government and can be sold at auction, a judge has ruled.
Superior Court Judge Lisa Guy-Schall ruled that the estate, which consists of drawings and tapes expressing the cult’s views on life after death and other topics, can be sold by the county public administrator to pay for costs associated with the suicides of 39 cult members at a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe in 1997. The estate is valued at about $50,000.
Two ex-cult members had sued to block a county auction, saying that the cult wanted them to receive the possessions. Guy-Schall on Monday rejected that claim as unsupported by evidence but delayed any auction until Mark and Sarah King can file an appeal.
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