In Four of the five women who accused Masterson of sexual assault filed a lawsuit against him, the Church of Scientology and the churchs leader, David Miscavige, in August 2019. If convicted, he could face 45 years to life in prison. The retrial is expected to last more than a month. His arraignment hearing was set for September of that year and could face up to 45 years to life in a state prison if convicted. Danny Masterson We want to hear from you! A jury in Los Angeles has failed to reach a verdict in a rape case against US actor Danny Masterson. Actor Danny Masterson drugged, raped women, prosecutor says Both prosecutors and church lawyers opposed the strategy to involve Scientology in the case, but a judge allowed it. Three women took the stand to recount sexual assaults allegedly committed by the celebrity Scientologist, and each told similar stories of how church officials tried to stop them from reporting Masterson to police. 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Moving at a faster clip than the prosecution did in their opening statement and adopting a far more low-fi approach, Cohen attacked the credibility of Jane Doe No. 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 Court either did not read them in full or ignored them. 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What to Know About the Danny Masterson Rape Trial One of three women to accuse actor Danny Masterson of rape testified about the alleged assault and said the Church of Scientology tried to discourage her from reporting the incident to police. The case will be retried in April 2023. Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land, including the reporting of crimes. Masterson played Jameson Rooster Bennett on the Netflix series for three seasons alongside former That 70s Show costar Ashton Kutcher before he was fired in the wake of his sexual assault allegations. The District Attorneys Office declined to file charges for two of the five alleged assaults due to insufficient evidence and statute of limitations. She reported the assault to the Toronto Police Department in October 2021, after her niece told her that she had been roofied at a bar, which prompted Kathy to think about what the defendant had done to her, prosecutors wrote. He was unsuccessful, and his trial is set for August 2022. Addressing the jurors as he spoke in a much stronger voice than last time and with a constant stream of images of the Jane Does on the nearby video monitor, Mueller bluntly told the panel that there would be no expert taking the stand to testify whether the women had been slipped something by 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. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show, Plaschke: Lakers live up to their legacy with a close-out win for the ages, Most of Yosemite Valley is closed due to potentially perilous snowpack and flooding, The Great Big Highly Specific Guide to Disneyland, Mom influencer who said Latino couple tried to kidnap her kids convicted of false report, Cooler weather to bring rare May rain, snow into Southern California, Three women, one man die in Mojave mobile home shooting, What was behind the protest against an archaeologist at last weeks L.A. Times Book Festival, Column: If not cops or guns, what will it take to make us feel safe? About 20 or 30 minutes later, she felt very disoriented, the brief states. 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. Opening arguments began on Monday in a retrial of the rape case against Danny Masterson, the actor known for his role in the sitcom That 70s Show, nearly five months after the first trial ended in a deadlocked jury. This case is being taken very seriously and does have top priority within the sex crimes division of the office. 3, aka Christina B, who dated Masterson for several years, back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Contact Stephanie K. Baer at stephanie.baer@buzzfeed.com. The case against Masterson, who starred in the 2000s sitcom That 70s Show, is a relatively rare example of a Scientologist facing criminal charges based on accusations from other church members, Rinder said. In 2017, Netflix and producers of The Ranch wrote Masterson off the show amid rape allegations. Scroll down for more details on Mastersons sexual assault case, trial and his ongoing civil lawsuit: Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more! Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey has asked the deputy district attorney Reinhold Mueller, handling the Danny Masterson rape investigation, for further investigation after the case was formally presented to her almost three months ago, the source explained. The judge in the Danny Masterson rape trial declared a hung jury on Wednesday, after the jurors said they could not reach a verdict on any of the charges. Danny Masterson Rape Trial Jury Deadlocked On Trio Of One of the women who testified at the hearing said that when she reported the alleged rape to church officials, she was told to read the chapter of Introduction to Scientology Ethics that instructs members not to go to police in such cases. It should be pointed out the alleged victims are currently suing Danny for significant financial damages, the insider said. Danny Masterson 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. According to Deadline, the first of Masterson's three accusers whose names are not public testified on October 19. LOS ANGELES (AP) A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday at the rape trial of That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson after jurors, who were leaning strongly toward acquitting him, deadlocked following the monthlong trial in which the Church of Scientology played a supporting role. Mastersons ex-girlfriend Bobette Riales came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct in December 2017, bringing the count up to five women claiming the Beethovens 2nd actor allegedly assaulted them in the early 2000s. Danny Masterson 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. [jwplayer FlEK2LEJ-zhNYySv2] It is unclear whether the defense will roll the dice and put Masterson on the stand to testify in his own defense. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. 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. The third woman said Masterson raped her on a night in 2003 after texting her to come to his house. According to multiple news outlets, Olmedo denied the request Tuesday, allowing prosecutors to move forward. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. In 2016, she connected and shared stories with the woman who says she was raped while in a relationship with Masterson. 5 min read. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. 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. Mr Masterson, 46, was charged in 2020 with raping three women, who were all in their 20s, between 2001 and 2003. Part of the a360media Entertainment Group.Powered by WordPress VIP, Please note that this form cannot be used to reset your Google, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window). It was a type of public dissection that is unusual for the insular, enigmatic institution. All three Jane Does in the case are former members of Scientology. Danny Masterson My truth will be heard., Riales also showed Chrissie Carnell Bixler, who is one of Mastersons exes and another accuser, support, tweeting, I applaud her strength as well #metoo #sisters.. The alleged incident took place withthree women between 2001 and 2003 in his home, which functioned as a social hub when he was at the height of his fame. The lawyer, according to the woman, warned that she would be expelled from the church if she went to authorities. Scroll down for more details on Mastersons sexual assault case, trial and his ongoing civil lawsuit: 2023 Cable News Network. According to a trial brief filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office in September, Masterson raped a woman, identified only as Jen B., in April 2003 after she went to his house to pick up keys and he gave her a red vodka drink. Victims are realizing they do have recourse, and they dont have to be afraid anymore.. He pleaded not guilty and Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced the news after arresting the Yes Man actor in June 2020. Testimony at Mastersons preliminary hearing at times was as much an explanation of the churchs processes and cryptic vocabulary as an accounting of the actors alleged sexual abuse. Actor Leah Remini, a former Scientologist who has become the church's most prominent detractor on social media and through a TV series she hosted featuring dissident ex-members, sat in the front row of the courtroom in support of Mastersons accusers. (Update 4:11 PM: The defenses opening statement ended mere minutes after the court reconvened from its afternoon break. appreciated. Mr Masterson, who is best known for his role in the sitcom That 70s Show, was accused of raping three women at his home in Hollywood in the early 2000s. Read about our approach to external linking. All three women testified at the preliminary hearing, where the judge ruled that prosecutors had enough evidence for the case to go to trial. Like other rapes cited by the D.A., Jenkins was handed a drink by Masterson and supposedly became light head and confused soon afterwards. Discovery Company. Things took another tense turn this morning when lead defense lawyer Phillip Cohen sought to have the Jane Does referred to as accusers, not victims. 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. Mueller also told jurors that the women did not immediately go to authorities because they were told not to by officials in the Church of Scientology, and they were told what happened to them was not rape. The other two accusers, Chrissie Carnell Bixler and Bobette Riales, previously dated the star. Masterson could face up to 45 years to a life sentence in state prison if convicted. Credit: Amanda Schwab/Starpix/Shutterstock. In statements to The Times, the church denied it has a policy that dissuades members from reporting crimes, despite repeated references to Scientology texts during the hearing that appeared to include the directive. Masterson was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents occurring between 2001 and 2003, CNN previously reported. "And while there was disagreement as to the ultimate vote, on one thing the jurors all appeared to agree no reasonable jury was ever going to come to a unanimous finding on guilty on any count," Masterson's attorneys wrote. His exes, Bixler and Riales, were reportedly identified in the lawsuit. While we are disappointed with the outcome in this trial, we thank the jurors for their service, the district attorneys office said in a statement. In November, a judge declared a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked on all three charges. Reinhold Mueller took the book from Mesereau and had it admitted into the court record. Review: Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath is a compelling, if unsophisticated, investigation of church, Fathers memoir spurs Scientology leader David Miscavige to threaten lawsuit, When you make a movie about Scientology, Scientology comes to you: A walk with Louis Theroux through L. Rons hood. They included his wife, model and actor Bijou Phillips; his sister-in-law, One Day at a Time actor Mackenzie Phillips; and his brother, Malcolm in the Middle actor Christopher Masterson. In 20 years on the court, I have never said that, I never would, the judge said as things came to a halt due to some tech-support issues. 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 Firstarrested in 2020over incidents that occurred between 2001 and 2003 in his Hollywood Hills house, Masterson faces up to 45 years in state prison if found guilty on all three rape counts, as he did in the first trial. The church has strongly denied that it pressures victims. Pledging no sidebars and other occasions that could eat up time in the retrial, Olmedo got to a place today that it took her more than a week to reach in the last trial and she made sure the courtroom knew the rules. Danny Masterson Jury Says It Cannot Reach a Verdict - Variety The Times generally does not name victims of alleged sexual assault unless they choose to fully identify themselves. Cohen said that prosecution expert Claire Headley, a former member of the church's leadership group, is someone who works to rid the world of Scientology, rid people of Scientology, and told jurors they were going to hear tremendous bias in her testimony. He wasnt charged with five counts because two of the womens cases had insufficient evidence and statutes of limitations. Danny Masterson Rape Trial Ends in Hung Jury - Variety Danny Masterson repeatedly raped me, Riales claimed via Twitter at the time. On a sunny afternoon in Hollywood, three figures strolled through a residential neighborhood just south of Sunset Boulevard. All Rights Reserved. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one.. The churchs doctrine generally dismisses government institutions like courts as invalid and directs members to deal with complaints internally, said Rinder, who described himself as having worked closely with L. Ron Hubbard, the late science fiction author who founded the church. Mastersons lawyers wrote in court documents that Kathy J.s testimony should be excluded from the retrial because the recent disclosure that she could be a witness prevents Masterson from fully investigating, preparing for and defending against her 23-year-old allegation., What to Know About Danny Mastersons Second Rape Trial, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/us/danny-masterson-rape-trial.html. CNN has reached out to Mastersons attorney for comment. Following his arrest in June 2020, Mastersons attorney Tom Mesereau told CNN: Mr. 1. All three accusers have since left, and they said the churchs insistence that it deal internally with problems between members made them hesitant at first to go to authorities. He argued the restrictions were needed because of religious bias that investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department and Mastersons accusers harbored against Scientology. Cohen please do not use quotes, do not use previous testimony. To cut off Cohens repeated mentioning of private and protected information of the Jane Does in front of the jury, onlookers and the typing media, the judge saidstop apologizing for using first names just dont do it!. A retrial is underway on charges that the actor from That 70s Show raped three women in the early 2000s. There are a couple of pieces of testimony that [Assistant D.A. Period.. In order to view the video, please allow Manage Cookies, Make no mistake, the Church of Scientology is under attack, a source exclusively told Us at the time. Masterson could face up to 45 years to a life sentence in state prison if convicted. A retrial is underway on charges that the actor from That 70s Show raped three women in the early 2000s. The first trial ended in a hung jury in November. The actor Danny Masterson at his arraignment on rape charges in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2020. Pool photo by Lucy Nicholson He has denied the allegations and has pleaded not guilty. This is an ongoing article that was originally published in January 2022 and last updated in April 2023. Mr Masterson, who is best known for his role in the sitcom That 70s Show, was accused of raping three women at his home in Hollywood in the early 2000s. He had denied the charges, saying he was being persecuted for his membership of the Church of Scientology. The leader of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavige, is looking to stop the publication of a new tell-all memoir written by his father Ron Miscavige. Karin Pouw, the churchs top spokeswoman, said Olmedos comments were flat-out wrong and dismissed the allegations against Masterson as nothing more than a money shakedown by women who are also engaged in a civil suit against him. The mansion sold four months later for $6.2 million, according to Dirt. In November 2022, the jury was unable to come to a unanimous vote on the three charges Masterson faced causing the judge to declare it a mistrial. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. ), Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock. In a statement, the attorney's office said: "While we are disappointed with the outcome in this trial, we thank the jurors for their service." 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. 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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. Expected to be in court every day, as he was in the five-week first trial, Masterson has been free on $3.3 million bail the past three years. Prosecutors said they plan to retry Masterson on the same counts. He had denied the charges, saying he was being persecuted for his membership of the Church of Scientology. Danny Masterson Jury Hasn't Reached Verdict, Must Return For Sticking to a more traditional playbook in such criminal cases, he did not testify in the first trial. 1 in the case, the prosecutor was a more measured than earlier in the morning but still maintained a pinpoint focus on the individual stories of the three Jane Does. Danny Masterson A judge rejected Mastersons request for a variety of subpoenas in August 2021 after his legal team asked for information related to Reminis anti-Scientologist TV show, in addition to anything about church leader David Miscavige and his wife, Shelly. California governor's wife among Harvey Weinstein accusers in new L.A. trial. Mastersons family members and a large entourage of well-dressed Scientologists had been lingering at the courthouse since Wednesday morning awaiting the verdict. As in the previous A judge declared a mistrial following the That '70s Show actor's first trial in November after jurors said they were deadlocked on three counts of rape. Mueller described alleged accounts of the women becoming woozy and passing out before regaining consciousness to find Masterson having sex with them. And while Masterson's defense attorney urged jurors not to consider the actor's affiliation with Scientology and its relationship to the case,Mueller argued it helpedexplain why the womenwaited so long to report the incidents. Mesereau also brought out a copy of Introduction to Scientology Ethics, a 528-page tome written by Hubbard, as he cross-examined another alleged victim. Were going to work out how you can not lose your daughter, the attorney told the womans father, according to her testimony. The Church has strongly denied pressurising victims. But at a hearing last week in the rape case against actor Danny Masterson, church officials were unable to stop their practices from being debated in open court. Put a Ring On It! The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. It becomes part of Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein, he said, referring to the #MeToo movement, which has identified several celebrities as sexual predators. "We are pleased that Danny Masterson will not be permitted to simply escape criminal accountability," they said. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually assaulted. Even before todays proceedings formally kicked off, there was some high Scientology drama in Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedos courtroom. Prosecutors had suggested during the first trial that he might have drugged the women but did not say so directly, as they presented testimony that the women felt disoriented or confused after Masterson gave them alcoholic drinks. You pulled it in its your fault, Mueller told the jurors about how Christina B was admonished by a church ethics officer in which she confided. She has accused Masterson of sexually assaulting her in Toronto in 2000, after she met him at a party for the cast of the movie Dracula, in which Masterson had a role, according to the supplemental brief. Mr. One of the women had beenMastersons longtime girlfriend. Attempts to subpoena church records and call former Scientologists to testify, including Remini, were unsuccessful, however. I met with Detective Reyes [of the robbery-homicide division, who was assigned the case], and I told her these victims deserve to be heard, Remini told Ortega at the time. That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson is back on trial again. He and the woman read aloud passages that she said she understood were official church doctrine that discourages Scientologists from reporting fellow parishioners to law enforcement. Masterson continued: I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. This is blatantly clear in the documents we understand were put before the Court and many others, Pouw wrote, repeatedly noting the church is not a party in the criminal case.
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