Mary-Lee Hall in New York?

Press, 13 November 1981, Page 19

Mary-Lee Hall in New York?

NZPA staff correspondent Washington The Unification Church has produced a document in court which indicated that a young New Zealand woman, Mary-Lee Hall, had left San Francisco and was now in New York. The Superior Court’s hearing, in San Francisco resulted from an application for a writ of habeas corpus by Miss Hall’s mother, Mrs Lena Hall, and her sister, Anna-Lyn Hall, who flew to California about a month ago

to take her back to their Taranaki farm. The Halls assert that the Unification Church, popularly known as the “Moonies”, has brainwashed MaryLee and say that although she wants to go back to New Zealand she no longer has the willpower to make that decision. The writ of habeas corpus, if issued by the court, would compel the church to produce Mary-Lee Hall to her mother and sister within 24 hours. The crux of Wednesday’s

two-hour hearing was whether Mary-Lee was in the care of the Unification Church. She has said she is a member of an organisation called the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles. (C.A.R.P.). Testimony by the Hails' lawyer, Mr Jim Mahon, yesterday, was directed at demonstrating that CA.R.P. is merely a branch of the church. Mr Matthew Morrison, the North Carolina director of

the Unification Church, denied links with C.A.R.P. He said the church had no control over Mary-Lee Hall. Mr Mahon told NZPA last evening that Mr Morrison had produced a document indicating that she was no longer in San Francisco and had moved to New York. Mrs Hall and Anna-Lyn have vowed they will not return to New Zealand without Mary-Lee. Judge Ira Brown adjourned the hearing to Friday afternoon (New Zealand time).