When Masterson heard a man yelling in the house, he pulled a gun from his night stand and told her not to move or say anything, adding expletives, the document states. Taking Cohen to task as she did many times before in the last trial, Olmedo also bluntly told the defense lawyer, Mr. Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land, including the reporting of crimes. The third woman said Masterson raped her on a night in 2003 after texting her to come to his house. ), Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock. 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. 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. As his trial on criminal rape charges kicked off in Los Angeles last week, "That 70's Show" actor Danny Masterson's lawyers presumed that the Church of Scientology would be the elephant in the room throughout proceedings.. Masterson is a second-generation Scientologist, and the three rape accusers are all former members of In a one-on-one meeting, a church ethics officer told her not to use the R-word and said it would be a high crime to report another Scientologist to law enforcement, the woman testified. Masterson, a 46-year-old longtime adherent of the Church of Scientology, is charged with three counts of rape by force or fear involving the three women. 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 trial brief says that Masterson raped a second woman, identified only as Christina B., who had been in a relationship with him and had lived with him for six years. Masterson is charged with three counts of rape by force or fear, which could mean up to 45 years in prison if convicted. Jury selection is set to begin on March 29. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The church, which counts a number of high-profile actors among its parishioners and operates a Celebrity Centre in the heart of Hollywood, has long been accused of going to extraordinary lengths to keep criminal allegations and other claims of wrongdoing in-house, experts said. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually assaulted. Hesitant to reveal why it was a possibility the former King of Queens star would be called by the defense, new-ishly hired attorney Shawn Holley would only say Remini was a percipient witness to certain conversations a statement the judge redefined as an impeachment witness, based on elements of Reminis award-winning docuseries Scientology and the Aftermath. We want a fair trial and an unbiased jury. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. 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). Danny Masterson trial for rape case ends: What was he accused of? When I came to, he was still on top of me," she claimed. A Warner Bros. In February 2022, the actor sought to have the criminal rape charges dismissed. 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. 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. Another, a onetime friend of Mastersons who had been born into Scientology, testified thatin 2003, he had taken her upstairs from the hot tub at his Los Angeles home and raped her in his bedroom. 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. Rinder is a co-executive producer with Remini of an A&E series about Scientology. Hyde also isnt included in a flashback sequence of the OG characters in the Formans infamous basement and his absence isnt addressed. In 2017, Netflix and producers of The Ranch wrote Masterson off the show amid rape allegations. But Mueller said he will call an analyst from the police toxicology unit, who will tell you how some of the most common drug-facilitated sexual assaults, how some of the most common date rape drugs work, how quickly theyre metabolized, what side effects look like., Cohen responded that a toxicologist can come in opine to whatever they want, but there is no toxicology report, theres no urine, no blood work, no DNA.. 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. She reached for his hair to try to pull him off and attempted to push a pillow into his face, it states. Danny Masterson repeatedly raped me, Riales claimed via Twitter at the time. Cohen told jurors that another of the women, a young actress who spent an evening alone with Masterson at his house in 2003, made no mention of drugging at the time. 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. However, Mueller did say that a member of the LAPD toxicology unit will testify how common date-rape drugs metabolize and the whether they are consistent or inconsistent with the situations all three Jane Does described suddenly feeling not long after Masterson handed them a drink. There is no drug charge, the lawyer said, ripping into the date-rape drug claims that Mueller put front and center in his own opening statement. Its a new era. WebOver the past few weeks, That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson has been on trial for charges that he raped three women in the early aughts. Olmedo slapped down the request, saying she found it interesting that Mesereau argued Scientology should have little to do with the case, but also referred to the church 88 times in a 29-page brief.. All of the alleged crimes took place at Mastersons Hollywood Hills home, authorities said at the time. Masterson is innocent, and were confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify, his criminal defense attorney said in a statement to Us after he was charged. He has since pleaded not guilty after being charged in June 2020 with allegedly raping three women. On Wednesday,Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Muellerdenied a request to throw the case away and confirmed there will be a retrial. We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences.. All Rights Reserved. She fired back that the document had been written by church officials, who took comments shed made to a Scientology counselor out of context and repurposed them to defend Masterson. However, Judge Charlaine Olmedo said that the jurors have In that case, a jury found Kenneth Wayne Thompson carried out the slayings to protect his nephew from receiving psychiatric treatment, which his attorneys argued is barred by the churchs doctrines. Masterson was, however, accused of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman between January and December 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April 2003 and a 23-year-old woman between October and December 2003 in his home. Its hard to imagine it now, but there was once a time when few Americans outside the Celebrity Centre knew what an E-meter was. write-ups. A prosecutor repeatedly evoked books and letters written by Hubbard. The policy explained why several of the women did not report Mastersons alleged crimes to the police for more than a decade, the judge found. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? Put a Ring On It! 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. Victims are realizing they do have recourse, and they dont have to be afraid anymore. Opening statement is a preview from the lawyers that is to be done in good faith, said Cohen earlier in the afternoon during his own opening statement in his clients rape retrial. On a sunny afternoon in Hollywood, three figures strolled through a residential neighborhood just south of Sunset Boulevard. Prosecutors said they plan to retry Masterson on the same counts. 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. Masterson denied the allegations in a statement to Us at the time, saying, This is beyond ridiculous. CNNs Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report. 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. Period.. More questions answered, after jurors 'hopelessly deadlocked,' judge rules, Danny Masterson accuser alleges 2003 rape, says actor choked her, Danny Masterson rape case will go to court again following mistrial, A Towering, Terrifying Demon Horse Isnt Even the Weirdest Part, Man who lost wife, son in Texas mass shooting tells story, Gwyneth Paltrow won't recoup attorney fees in ski crash suit, 'Zombie' misinformation: 'Rape Day' hoax resurfaces on TikTok, 'Very homophobic': Teachers' union leader Randi Weingarten says House hearing crossed the line, 10 Gen Z Beauty Influencers You Should Follow On TikTok, 'Give Great Falls' fundraising event gets underway, DoorDash driver and his dog injured during armed carjacking in Oakland, Texas border city struggles with large arrival of migrants. 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. 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. Actor Danny Masterson, with his attorney, Sharon Appelbaum, in court in 2020, is accused of sexually assaulting three women in his Hollywood Hills home in the early 2000s. Mr Masterson played the role of Steven Hyde in That 70s Show between 1998 and 2006, alongside Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. The woman was then advised to file a police report by Remini, according to Ortega. Masterson was charged with three counts of rape by force or fear, LA DA Jackie Lacey announced in June 2020, three years after he was first accused of sexual assault. [jwplayer FlEK2LEJ-zhNYySv2] Opening statements in the trial began in October 2022. Todays proceedings followed a week of jury selection, motions and other housekeeping. UPDATED, 3:08 PM: Please dont ever tell me to hold on, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo snapped at Danny Mastersons lead lawyer Phillip Cohen in a remarkable moment Monday afternoon over the defenses opening statements in Mastersons rape retrial. He had denied the charges, saying he was being persecuted for his membership of the Church of Scientology. 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. The church said in a statement on Wednesday that it has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone, Scientologists or not, to law enforcement., Quite the opposite, the statement said. A retrial date has been set for March 29, beginning with jury selection. 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. 3, aka Christina B, who dated Masterson for several years, back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I will beat her in court and look forward to it because the public will finally be able to learn the truth and see how Ive been railroaded by this woman., A litigation attorney for the Church of Scientology also reacted to the lawsuit, telling Us in a statement, From everything we have read in the press, this baseless lawsuit will go nowhere because the claims are ludicrous and a sham. In May 2021, a judge ordered Masterson to stand trial on the rape charges made against him. It has hired private detectives to keep tabs on straying members, and experts say its lawyers vigorously defend against legal incursions, arguing to judges that Scientologys beliefs are not courtroom fodder. Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land.. The case against Masterson, Rinder added, is also unusual for the outsize role the inner workings and rules of Scientology played at the preliminary hearing a likely preview of what is to come if the case goes to trial. Credit: Amanda Schwab/Starpix/Shutterstock. The third woman went to police in 2017. The lawyer, according to the woman, warned that she would be expelled from the church if she went to authorities. As a result, Mr Masterson was written out of the Netflix show The Ranch. asserted of the assaults that Christina B allegedly suffered from her then-boyfriend. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one.. 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. 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. Masterson would co-star with Kutcher again on Netflixs The Ranch. He also had a role on TBSs Men at Work. (TBS, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. Masterson, who has been free on bail since his 2020 arrest, sat at the defense table, with a large coterie of supporters behind him, many if not all church members, who also sat through his first trial. Its a new era. As they are expected to do this time round, the Cohen-led defense tried to varying degrees of failure to do everything they could to limit mention of the church. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. As he finished his questioning, Mueller handed the book back to Mesereau and thanked him, saying it was very helpful.. 2023 Cable News Network. 2023 BBC. Danny Masterson appears at an event in 2017. Specifically, the lawyer sought to shred the discrepancies between what Jen B told officers about a gun Masterson had in a bedside drawer and what exactly occurred when the defendant took it out after the alleged rape. 2. With that said, and a very brief delay for an alternate juror to make it back to the courtroom, the former model barely had time to describe first meeting Masterson in the late 1990s before Judge Olmedo called an end to todays proceedings at 4 PM. When a woman explained during her testimony that wog-law is the churchs disdainful term for police and courts, Olmedo asked if Scientologists refer to nonmembers as wogs, much like wizards in the fictional universe of Harry Potter call non-magical people muggles., I suppose, the woman responded. That '70s Show actor Danny Masterson pleads not guilty to rape charges. 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. I wish them nothing but success. "Try as Masterson's team might to keep that evidence out, I think it's inevitable that it will become an element in the trial, and the prosecution will likely use this to their benefit to explain the extremely long delay in reporting these allegations to law enforcement," Joshua Ritter, a defense attorney and former Los Angeles County prosecutor, said in a statement to Us. Prosecutors did not file charges in two other cases because of insufficient evidence and the statute of limitations expiring. 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. The three women who have accused Masterson of rape were identified in court by their first names and initials of their last names. Masterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Jane Doe No. The evidence will show they were drugged, the prosecutor added of the three Jane Does at the heart of the Scientology spotlighting matter. After a jury failed to reach a verdict last year regarding rape charges against Danny Masterson, the actors retrial began on Monday. The district attorneys office said we will now consider our next steps on prosecuting the case and did not indicate if they plan to refile. 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. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. However, we are collectively resolved to continue our fight for justice., Alleged victim testifies: Danny Masterson accuser alleges 2003 rape, says actor choked her. 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. He wasnt charged with five counts because two of the womens cases had insufficient evidence and statutes of limitations. I find the jurors hopelessly deadlocked, Olmedo declaredafter inquiring whether there was anything the court could do to move them closer to reaching a unanimous decision. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 1, aka Jen B, and the other women including Jane Doe No. 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. 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. Its an area Cohen often struggled to find a consistent tone for during the last trial. The focus on Scientology during the preliminary hearing, which stretched over four days and included lengthy discussions of internal church texts and doctrine, wasnt lost on Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo. The church has strongly denied that it pressures victims. Unlike the last trial, those drug claims were heavily articulated today by Mueller, who repeatedly noted how the Jane Does, all former Scientologists, complained of being disoriented after sipping a drink made for them by Masterson before the alleged sexual assaults. At the time of the alleged incident, assistant prop master Jenkins while her husband was just down the hall. Actor Danny Masterson is arraigned on three rape charges in separate incidents in 2001 and 2003, at Los Angeles Superior Court, Los Angeles, California, As in the previous "We are pleased that Danny Masterson will not be permitted to simply escape criminal accountability," they said. In August 2019, the women claimed that Masterson, along with the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, stalked them, invaded their privacy and conspired to obstruct justice after the women came forward against Masterson. Less than one year later, Masterson was charged with three counts of rape in his criminal case. Another woman, who was born into Scientology and planned to report Masterson to police in 2004, a year after she said he raped her at his Hollywood mansion, recounted how a Scientology attorney showed up at her familys home. We also are thankful for the hard work of the prosecution team and we will now consider our next steps as it relates to prosecuting this case.. Judge Charlaine Olmedo expressed a desire to pursue justice in a statement during the hearing, according to The Wrap. Matthew Ormseth is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Like the last trial, Cohen used a large slab of his opening statement to undercut the credibility of the Jane Does and who said what when and to whom. That instantly puts it into a different zone. In August 2019, the women claimed that Masterson, along with the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, stalked them, invaded their privacy and conspired to obstruct justice after the women came forward against Masterson. VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. Amid his legal issues, the Chicago 8 actor and his wife, Bijou Phillips, listed their Los Angeles five-bedroom home in August 2021 for $6.9 million. Mastersons attorney, Thomas Mesereau, initially tried to minimize Scientologys place in the case, asking Olmedo to issue an order limiting mentions of the church or its practices in court. I met with the LAPD. BBC News A jury in Los Angeles has failed to reach a verdict in a rape case against US actor Danny Masterson. Discovery Company. All three were members of the Church of Scientology, as Masterson still is. Four women claimed in March 2017 that the That 70s Show alum sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s. 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. 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. We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences. He argued the restrictions were needed because of religious bias that investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department and Mastersons accusers harbored against Scientology. Remini may also end up being a witness for the prosecution for Jane Doe No. The other two accusers, Chrissie Carnell Bixler and Bobette Riales, previously dated the star. 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. A fifth woman came forward in December 2017, claiming that while she was dating the actor, he repeatedly raped her. "I went unconscious. According to multiple news outlets, Olmedo denied the request Tuesday, allowing prosecutors to move forward. All three Jane Does in the case are former members of Scientology. 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. The accusations were made in 2017, during the #MeToo movement which saw many Hollywood stars accused of sexual assault. But prosecutors wrote that her testimony and that of another accuser who testified at the first trial bolster the credibility of the women in the case by showing that Masterson performed similar acts on other women. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Street piano confiscated as public 'break rules', Trump rape accuser returns to witness stand, US rock band Aerosmith announce farewell tour, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Disney faces countersuit in feud with Florida. 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. Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo had ordered jurors to take Thanksgiving week off and keep deliberating after they said on Nov. 18 that they could not reach a consensus. Lawyers for Mr Masterson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press. Masterson's attorney, Philip Cohen, said in the defense opening statement that those hazy stories and assertions are all the prosecution has, and he told jurors, there is no drugging charge in this case.. 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. As his criminal case continued to be investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department, Masterson was sued by four of his sexual assault accusers in civil court. If convicted in the retrial, Masterson could face 45 years to life in prison. 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. It's a different world now. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. We are aware of [the victim]s 16-year-old allegations. Danny Masterson. Masterson is a prominent member of the church. 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 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. Reinhold Mueller took the book from Mesereau and had it admitted into the court record. 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 Jury selection in the retrial is set to begin March 29. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Like other rapes cited by the D.A., Jenkins was handed a drink by Masterson and supposedly became light head and confused soon afterwards. Jane Doe No. 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. 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. 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 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. To hold otherwise would bind members irrevocably to a faith they have the constitutional right to leave.. Deliberations in the case began in mid-November, but soon reached a deadlock which could not be resolved. 4, who is not among the three rape charges that make up this case, and portrayed her as a spurned one-night stand who wanted a relationship with Masterson. Going over the alleged rape of Jane Doe No. Updated The new trial began on Monday morning with jury Danny Masterson rape case declared mistrialafter jurors 'hopelessly deadlocked,' judge rules. Former girlfriend of Danny Masterson shares disturbing testimony in retrial. Masterson maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and claimed that he only had consensual sex with the women. If convicted, he could face 45 years to life in prison. Masterson, a prominent Scientologist who is best known for playing Steven Hyde on That '70s Show, attempted to keep the church out of the trial. While cross-examining one woman, he read from an O.W. 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. 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.