LOS ANGELES, USA – American actor Danny Masterson, renowned for his role in the TV series ‘That ’70s Show’, was found guilty of two counts of rape by a Los Angeles jury on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.
Facing up to 30 years in prison, the actor was taken from court in handcuffs.
Three women, all former members of the Church of Scientology, accused Masterson of sexual assault at his Hollywood home between 2001 and 2003.
Prosecutors claimed that the actor used his status as a high-profile Scientologist to evade accountability.
The jury, comprising seven women and five men, could not reach a verdict on a third charge after a week of deliberation, resulting in an 8-4 deadlock.
CBS News reported that the actor’s wife, Bijou Phillips, a model and actress, cried as Masterson was led away. Other family members and friends remained impassive.
Previously, another jury failed to reach a verdict during a trial in December 2022. Prosecutors chose to retry Masterson, and this time, the judge permitted the presentation of new evidence excluded from the first trial.
Despite Masterson not being charged with drugging his victims, the jury heard testimonies that the women were drugged before the assaults.
Masterson first faced rape allegations in 2017 during the height of the #MeToo movement. He responded by noting that he had neither been charged nor convicted of a crime, claiming that one was “presumed guilty the moment you are accused” in the prevailing climate.
Charges were filed following a three-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. In two other cases, prosecutors did not file charges due to insufficient evidence and the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Prosecutors alleged that the Church of Scientology had aided in concealing the assaults throughout the trial – a claim the organization categorically denied.
Several of the women alleged that it took them years to come forward because Church of Scientology officials discouraged them from reporting the rape to the police, and forced them to rely on the Church’s “internal justice system”.
Scientology’s officials allegedly told one survivor she would be excommunicated unless she signed a non-disclosure agreement and accepted a $400,000 payment.
Despite the Church of Scientology not being a defendant in the case, a lawyer associated with the Church emailed the district attorney’s office to complain about the Church’s portrayal during the retrial.
The defence unsuccessfully sought to declare a mistrial and attempted to discredit the “Jane Does” by focusing on inconsistencies in their testimony and their purported motive to take “revenge” against their former Church.
