This is an ongoing article that was originally published in January 2022 and last updated in April 2023. Credit: LUCY NICHOLSON/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock. The activities of Scientology have been so much a part of the evidence thats being put forth as to why these women were not immediately going to law enforcement that its sort of brought the dirty laundry out into public view, which is exactly what Scientology does not want to have happen, said Mike Rinder, the churchs former top spokesman, who left the faith in 2007. The actor said he looked forward to clearing my name once and for all, before thanking his former castmates and the shows crew for the time they spent together. It should have done neither. The office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney said it was considering its next steps in the case. This was a stark contrast to the use of much more limited technology in the previous trial, which was minimal and lightly informative at best. Danny Mastersons Sexual Assault Trial: Everything to Know - Us The Men at Work alum has maintained his innocence since the allegations first surfaced, telling Us Weekly in a statement in December 2017, From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me. Mastersons friend, unhappy with the way the Scientology ethics board handled her complaint about him, filed a police report in 2004 that didnt result in charges. ), Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock. Masterson could face up to 45 years to a life sentence in state prison if convicted. While we are disappointed with the outcome in this trial, we thank the jurors for their service, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorneys Office said in a statement to Us at the time. That '70s Show actor Danny Masterson pleads not guilty to rape charges. 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Jurors heard testimony about the churchs origins, and how members use a polygraph-like E-meter during a process meant to lead to spiritual clarity. He argued the restrictions were needed because of religious bias that investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department and Mastersons accusers harbored against Scientology. A Judge Declared A Mistrial For Actor Danny Masterson, Who Was Accused Of Violently Raping Three Women, That 70s Show Actor Danny Masterson Didnt Care That The Women He Allegedly Raped Told Him No, Prosecutors Said During Closing Arguments, A Woman Who Said That 70s Show Actor Danny Masterson Raped Her Testified That She Thought He Was Going To Kill Her, Two Women Who Said That 70s Show Actor Danny Masterson Raped Them Were Pressured By Scientology To Stay Quiet, Prosecutors Said, discussion about the Church of Scientology. Opening statements in the trial began in October 2022. A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge declared a mistrial in the rape trial of actor Danny Masterson on Wednesday after jurors remained deadlocked, the Los Angeles County District Attorneys office said. The jury in the Danny Masterson rape trial told the judge on Friday that it could not reach a verdict. Victims are realizing they do have recourse, and they dont have to be afraid anymore.. Actor Danny Mastersons sexual assault trial was declared a mistrial on Wednesday, with the jury unable to reach a unanimous verdict on three criminal counts The expert on the defense witness list is her father-in-law, a current high-level Scientologist. The prosecutions opening statement is anticipated to concluded after the courts regular morning break, with the defense set to beginning their opening statement later today. Before that, citing Jen Bs 2004 LAPD report, Cohen put the credibility of now-Superintendent Alexander Schlegel as well as that of other law enforcement up against that of Jane Doe No. But the institution and its practices took center stage as the three women, who are all former Scientologists, testified about how church officials allegedly tried to shield the actor from accountability. "Mr. Masterson is charged with multiple counts of serious and violent felonies forcible rapes. We won't post to any of your accounts without asking first. But in a potentially significant shift, the judge, Charlaine F. Olmedo, has allowed prosecutors to tell jurors directly that Masterson had drugged his three accusers, The Associated Press reported. Danny Masterson made headlines in 2017 when he was first accused of sexual assault. (Update 4:11 PM: The defenses opening statement ended mere minutes after the court reconvened from its afternoon break. Masterson maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and claimed that he only had consensual sex with the women. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told the court Tuesday that his office intends to pursue a second trial against Masterson, who is charged with three counts of rape by force or fear for allegedly sexually assaulting three women at his Hollywood Hills home in 2001 and 2003. 'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic loses appealof murder-for-hire prison sentence, Contributing: Maria Puente, Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY; Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press, This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Danny Masterson rape case will go to court again following mistrial, What was he accused of? A retrial date has been set for March 29, beginning with jury selection. Credit: Tyler Golden/Netflix/Kobal/Shutterstock, Masterson reacted to being ousted from The Ranch in December 2017, telling Us in a statement, I am obviously very disappointed in Netflixs decision to write my character off of The Ranch., He denied the outrageous allegations against him at the time, claiming, Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit. He has since pleaded not guilty after being charged in June 2020 with allegedly raping three women. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences. Singers testimony was delayed again and again by other matters in the case, and the attorney never ended up testifying. He has since pleaded not guilty after being charged in June 2020 with allegedly raping three women. L.A. has a new answer. Rinder said that in recent years, the churchs responses to media inquiries had become hermit-like. The fact that the church issued a detailed defense of its practices to The Times is a sign the Masterson case has become a significant problem for the church, he said. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Knowing that contacting law enforcement can lead to excommunication and being cut off from family and friends who remain in the church, members often remain silent, according to Rinder and testimony delivered in court last week. Reinhold Mueller] referred to in good faith that I want to talk to about, he added, allegedly going off script to take a series of jabs at the Los Angeles District Attorneys office. After the lunch break, Mueller wrapped his opening statement to tell the jurors of expert witnesses who will be testifying about date-rape drug symptoms and forensic psychology, among other topics. A jury in Los Angeles has failed to reach a verdict in a rape case against US actor Danny Masterson. Scientology had managed to persuade courts that you cant inquire into our religious practices and beliefs and have managed to dissuade much discussion about Scientology, Rinder said. The lawyer, according to the woman, warned that she would be expelled from the church if she went to authorities. In 2017, Netflix and producers of The Ranch wrote Masterson off the show amid rape allegations. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to Us in March 2017 that they were investigating claims that Masterson sexually assaulted multiple women in the early 2000s. Danny Mastersons Rape Retrial: Whats Different This Time Actor Danny Masterson drugged then raped three women at his Hollywood-area home between 2001 and 2003, a prosecutor told jurors Monday in his opening James Queally writes about crime and policing in Southern California, where he currently covers Los Angeles Countys criminal courts and the district attorneys office for the Los Angeles Times. Jane Doe No. It becomes part of Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein, he said, referring to the #MeToo movement, which has identified several celebrities as sexual predators. Danny Masterson. Three of the five alleged victims were Scientologists, which is a church that Masterson has been a part of since he was a child. Mastersons lawyer, Philip Cohen, told jurors in his opening statement this week that there is no drugging charge, The A.P. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Is climate change killing Australian wine? The third woman went to police in 2017. 11:07 PM EST, Wed November 30, 2022. However, this time it was the actors ex-girlfriend Christina B as opposed to Jen B, who was called on October 18 in the previous trial. Once again, his use of the courtroom video monitor amplified his remarks with photos of the alleged victims, Masterson himself, timelines and venues in question, as well as Scientology officials. 3 was drugged and sodomized while unconscious by a man she loved, Mueller said today, laying newly explicit emphasis on the theory that the defendant used date-rape drugs to incapacitate his victims. Noting the lack of human emotion in the reports prepared by Scientology over Jen B going to the church after the alleged rape by fellow Scientologist Masterson, Mueller again returned to the shadow of the church and its committee of evidence. Covering ground travelled heavily in the first trial, the prosecutor also detailed the civil action put in motion by Jen Bs father and the NDA she was told to sign by Scientology officials to receive $400,000 or risk being kicked out of the church. Actor Danny Masterson drugged then raped three women at his Hollywood-area home between 2001 and 2003, a prosecutor told jurors Monday in his opening The case involves accusations by two of the women that the Church of Scientology, to which they and Masterson belonged, discouraged them from reporting the rapes to law enforcement. Masterson, 47, who also appeared in the Netflix comedy The Ranch, has been charged with raping three women at his home in the Hollywood Hills in the early 2000s. With a vigor and a profanity-filled candor that was absent for the most part from the prosecutions opening statements during the first trial last October, Mueller today laid out a pointed and relatively succinct tale for the jury of a constant pattern of abusive, lewd, entitled and violent behavior by Masterson. Two of the alleged victims in the case issued a statement saying they were disappointed Masterson has evaded criminal accountability for his deplorable acts. Stephanie Baer is a reporter with BuzzFeed News and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The brief says that sometime between October and December of 2003, Masterson raped a third woman, identified only as N. Trout, who occasionally saw him at parties and gatherings and, like him, was in the Celebrity Centre branch of Scientology. About 20 or 30 minutes later, she felt very disoriented, the brief states. When I came to, he was still on top of me," she claimed. The case will be retried in April 2023. Us confirmed in January 2021 that Masterson pleaded not guilty to all of the rape charges against him. Simpsons so-called Dream Team, plus legal battles for seemingly lost causes like Lindsey Lohan, the Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump Holley LLP partner could prove a decisive factor for the defense, especially when it comes to questioning Mastersons accusers on the stand. The accusations were made in 2017, during the #MeToo movement which saw many Hollywood stars accused of sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty and This case is being taken very seriously and does have top priority within the sex crimes division of the office. She testified she had set boundaries and was clear there was to be no sex. Masterson, 46, was charged with the rape of three women, including a former girlfriend, in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. 1 alleged that the actor forcibly raped her in 2002 and said that she "couldn't breathe" during the assault. Danny Masterson made headlines in 2017 when he was first accused of sexual assault. Less than one year later, Masterson was charged with three counts of rape in his criminal case.
While Laura Prepon, Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama all reprised their roles in Netflixs sequel series, Mastersons That 70s Show character, Hyde, is not part of That 90s Show. 3, aka Christina B, who dated Masterson for several years, back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Danny Masterson will be retried on three counts of rape after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict in the That 70s Show actor's first trial last year.. Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller told the court Tuesday that his office intends to pursue a second trial against Masterson, who is charged with three LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The fate of actor and celebrity Scientologist Danny Masterson is now in the hands of a jury after four weeks of emotional testimony. Jane Doe No. The Times generally does not name victims of alleged sexual assault unless they choose to fully identify themselves. Danny Masterson will be retried for three counts of rape after his case ended in a mistrial on Nov. 30. Danny Masterson trial for rape case ends: What was he accused of? After a jury failed to reach a verdict last year regarding rape charges against Danny Masterson, the actors retrial began on Monday. Get the day's top stories on Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more. The charges in the retrial in Los Angeles Superior Court are the same as in the first trial. Judge declares mistrial in actor Danny Mastersons rape trial Deliberations in the case began in mid-November, but soon reached a deadlock which could not be resolved. What to Know About the Danny Masterson Rape Trial Mueller confirmed. You have to give him [Masterson] sex when he wants it, the Assistant D.A. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. His attorney claimed the information would help them investigate the alleged inconsistences with accusing witness accounts at trial. When it was his turn to question the woman, Deputy Dist. Bijou Phillips, after a judge declared a mistrial in his rape case on Nov. 30, 2022. This is an ongoing article that was originally published in January 2022 and last updated in April 2023. The new trial began on Monday morning with jury "The jury focused on the most relevant evidence - the testimony and prior statements of the Jane Does and a strong majority reasonably concluded that this critical evidence established reasonable doubt," Cohen said in paperwork obtained by Deadline and Law & Crime last week. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? asserted of the assaults that Christina B allegedly suffered from her then-boyfriend. The women, Pouw claimed without evidence, are parroting comments made by Leah Remini, an actress who became an outspoken critic of Scientology after breaking with it in 2013. Four women claimed in March 2017 that the That 70s Show alum sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s. Masterson, who was charged by his full name Daniel Peter Masterson, is best known for his role as Steven Hyde on That 70s Show, which aired for eight seasons on the Fox network from 1998-2006. Danny Masterson All of the alleged crimes took place at Mastersons Hollywood Hills home, authorities said at the time. Masterson was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents occurring between 2001 and 2003, CNN previously reported. In the first trial, prosecutors strongly suggested but never truly came out to claim the relatively famous Masterson date-raped the Jane Does by dropping something in the fruity drinks he mixed for the women in question. According to multiple news outlets, Olmedo denied the request Tuesday, allowing prosecutors to move forward. The jury began deliberations anew on Nov. 28 after two alternates replaced jurors who had COVID-19.