Its a new era. Todays proceedings followed a week of jury selection, motions and other housekeeping. All I seek is justice and to prevent this from ever happening to anyone else as it has for some time. 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. USA TODAY has reached out to Cohen for comment. Danny Masterson 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. Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit., Masterson continued: I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. 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. ), Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock. 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. 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 This was normal, the Assistant D.A. 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. There are a couple of pieces of testimony that [Assistant D.A. 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. 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. 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. Reinhold Mueller took the book from Mesereau and had it admitted into the court record. What to Know About the Danny Masterson Rape Trial Danny Masterson Put a Ring On It! Danny Masterson To Face New Rape Trial After Jury Deadlocked 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 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. She would only mention thinking she had been drugged years later after the investigation began, Cohen said. 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. In February 2022, the actor sought to have the criminal rape charges dismissed. 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. Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced the news after arresting the Yes Man actor in June 2020. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Going over the alleged rape of Jane Doe No. 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.. All Rights Reserved. "Not giving these victims another chance with a jury who can sit there and consider all of the evidence win, lose or draw that would be an injustice.". Part of the a360media Entertainment Group. Mastersons accusers allege the actor sexually assaulted them at his Hollywood Hills home after plying them with alcohol. Updated 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!. 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. 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. Were requesting that there be no media presence. The prosecutor, however, did not agree with Mastersons lawyers request and set a preliminary hearing for March of that year. In November 2001, the document says, she awoke to Masterson having sex with her and told him to stop. 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. 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. In 2017, Netflix and producers of The Ranch wrote Masterson off the show amid rape allegations. Hyde also isnt included in a flashback sequence of the OG characters in the Formans infamous basement and his absence isnt addressed. 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. Interpretation of Church doctrine by the courts is prohibited and the ruling is evidence of why.. 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.. Anyone can read what you share. Mueller described alleged accounts of the women becoming woozy and passing out before regaining consciousness to find Masterson having sex with them. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It added: "We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences.". We want to hear from you! That instantly puts it into a different zone. (Update 4:11 PM: The defenses opening statement ended mere minutes after the court reconvened from its afternoon break. 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. The evidence will show that they were drugged," Mueller told the jury. 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. That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson is back on trial again. The actor Danny Masterson at his arraignment on rape charges in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2020. 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. 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. 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. 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. 3, aka Christina B, who dated Masterson for several years, back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Based on pretrial rulings in this retrial, Scientology is certain to be a significant thrust of the prosecutions case. 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. Masterson was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents occurring between 2001 and 2003, CNN previously reported. Danny Masterson: Mistrial declared after jurors deadlocked in Although Judge Olmedo repeatedly said in the first trial that Scientology was not a defendant in the criminal case, the church, its policies and an alleged cover-up of the alleged rapes were brought up frequently by the D.A.s office today. CNN has reached out to Mastersons attorney for comment. BBC News A jury in Los Angeles has failed to reach a verdict in a rape case against US actor Danny Masterson. The woman was then advised to file a police report by Remini, according to Ortega. Danny Masterson trial for rape case ends: What was he accused of? If the inclusion of date-rape drugs to the case was a new move, the role of Scientology was not, though even the way the church was introduced tpday was noticeably different. appreciated. Danny Masterson will have to return to court to resolve his rape case after a judge declared a mistrial in November. Were going to work out how you can not lose your daughter, the attorney told the womans father, according to her testimony. I am also so thankful to the fans that have supported me and continue to do so, he added. Masterson is charged with three counts of forcible rape in the L.A. trial, and faces up to 45 years in state prison if found guilty. The actor Danny Masterson, known for his roles in the sitcom That 70s Show and the Netflix comedy The Ranch, before he was fired in 2017 amid sexual The show also starred Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama. 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. The office of the Los Angeles County District Attorney said it was considering its next steps in the case. Discovery Company. 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. write-ups. A prosecutor repeatedly evoked books and letters written by Hubbard. The Church has strongly denied pressurising victims. 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. 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. 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. According to Deadline, the first of Masterson's three accusers whose names are not public testified on October 19. 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.. I asked her to do the right thing by these girls, and I told her that the world is watching., The Dracula 2000 actors rep issued a statement denying all claims of sexual assault that same month. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Masterson maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and claimed that he only had consensual sex with the women. In a 2019 trial, lawyers for Scientology failed to shield the church from court scrutiny when defense attorneys for a man accused of beating his sister-in-law and her husband to death in Prescott, Ariz., argued that his belief in the religion drove him to commit the crime, according to a report in the Arizona Republic. "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. Danny Masterson, the former star of "That '70s Show," will face a second trial on rape charges. "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. The defense denies such evidence exists. Mastersons family members and a large entourage of well-dressed Scientologists had been lingering at the courthouse since Wednesday morning awaiting the verdict. On Wednesday,Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Muellerdenied a request to throw the case away and confirmed there will be a retrial. The accusers claimed that Masterson and the church engaged in stalking, physical invasion of privacy and conspiracy to obstruct justice after the women reported their allegations against the New York native to the Los Angeles Police Department in 2016 and 2017. Danny Masterson