In one of Ortegas posts, he claimed that one victim approached Leah Remini, who was a Scientologist like Masterson for decades, and told her what allegedly happened. Get the day's top stories on Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more. 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. Former girlfriend of Danny Masterson shares disturbing testimony in retrial. Danny Masterson rape case declared mistrialafter jurors 'hopelessly deadlocked,' judge rules. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. That case is expected to restart again later this summer. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. Seeking to taint the scene for the prosecution before testimony begins, the tactic certainly proved a welcoming spoiler for the defense last time, and they are clearly betting history will repeat itself. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing it? 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. Jurors said they had voted seven times over the course of two dayswithout being able to reach a consensus on any of the three counts. 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. 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. However, Judge Charlaine Olmedo said that the jurors have The actor Danny Masterson at his arraignment on rape charges in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2020. Masterson is charged with three counts of rape by force or fear, which could mean up to 45 years in prison if convicted. California governor's wife among Harvey Weinstein accusers in new L.A. trial. The retrial is expected to last more than a month. Remini may also end up being a witness for the prosecution for Jane Doe No. Attorneys for both sides acknowledged that there is no forensic evidence of any substances Masterson may have given the women because the police investigation that led to the two trials did not begin until about 15 years after the events. Did you encounter any technical issues? 5 min read. As in the previous 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 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. For the most part, Rinder said, cases involving the church have played out in civil court, where lawyers for Scientology have largely been successful in convincing judges that its practices are irrelevant. They argued that the jury in the first trial believed "there were significant evidentiary and credibility problems" with the prosecutors' case. We want a jury that is not contaminated by negative media coverage, and in the interest of fairness, Mesereau said at the time. 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. Masterson continued: I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. Victims are realizing they do have recourse, and they dont have to be afraid anymore. The Court either did not read them in full or ignored them. The drugging allegations had echoes of the trial of Bill Cosby, where women testified to similar experiences. 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. All three women testified at the preliminary hearing, where the judge ruled that prosecutors had enough evidence for the case to go to trial. Three of the five alleged victims were Scientologists, which is a church that Masterson has been a part of since he was a child. This case is being taken very seriously and does have top priority within the sex crimes division of the office. At the time, Masterson said he was obviously very disappointed by the decision, in a statement to CNN. "Mr. Masterson is charged with multiple counts of serious and violent felonies forcible rapes. Danny Masterson. This was normal, the Assistant D.A. Last time Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina called a rape accuser greedy and crazy he won. On trial now for the same trio of sexual assault charges a jury deadlocked over last fall, Masterson has beefed up his defense team in the interim. LOS ANGELES (AP) 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 statement in the retrial of the star of That 70s Show.. Although the defense sought to have any mention of Scientology barred from the proceedings during a pre-trial hearing, the request was denied. Olmedo quickly rejected that suggestion and Cohens claim that she previously agreed to such a designation. 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. Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? 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. It was a type of public dissection that is unusual for the insular, enigmatic institution. 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. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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. On Wednesday, Deputy District 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. [Monday] was his last day on the show, and production will resume in early 2018 without him.. Masterson, 47, could get 45 years in prison if convicted. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Masterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges. 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. It added: "We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences.". CNN has reached out to Mastersons attorney for comment. 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. Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. The Church has strongly denied pressurising victims. 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. Danny Masterson repeatedly raped me, Riales claimed via Twitter at the time. Outside of the court, Masterson did not respond to a verbal request for comment. 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 At the time of the alleged incident, assistant prop master Jenkins while her husband was just down the hall. "The contradictory nature of their trial testimony is not going to credibly change. 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. 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. Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land, including the reporting of crimes. Masterson is still a member. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and that you have read our Privacy Policy. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. 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.. 1. The three women who have accused Masterson of rape were identified in court by their first names and initials of their last names. That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson is back on trial again. After the judge denied a defense request to dismiss the case in January 2023, a date of April 17 was set for jury selection for the second trial. There are a couple of pieces of testimony that [Assistant D.A. "We are pleased that Danny Masterson will not be permitted to simply escape criminal accountability," they said. She reached for his hair to try to pull him off and attempted to push a pillow into his face, it states. It should be pointed out the alleged victims are currently suing Danny for significant financial damages, the insider said. CNNs Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report. 1, Assistant D.A. He responded by saying that he had not been charged or convicted of a crime, and that in the climate at the time "it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused". Seated at the defense table today, the suited Masterson looked at the jury during Muellers opening statement and Cohens remarks, occasionally moving his facial muscles and stroking his jaw. 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. I am also so thankful to the fans that have supported me and continue to do so, he added. 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. 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. 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. The actor was arrested on June 17 and released later that day on $3.3 million bail. He has since pleaded not guilty after being charged in June 2020 with allegedly raping three women. 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. 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. 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. A retrial date has been set for March 29, beginning with jury selection. 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. Danny Masterson, the former star of "That '70s Show," will face a second trial on rape charges. Mastersons former girlfriend said she did so after telling her story to her husband, who helped her understand that she had been raped. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. 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. For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews Subscribe on YouTube! However, we are collectively resolved to continue our fight for justice., Alleged victim testifies: Danny Masterson accuser alleges 2003 rape, says actor choked her. Make no mistake, the Church of Scientology is under attack, a source exclusively told Us at the time. All of the alleged crimes took place at Mastersons Hollywood Hills home, authorities said at the time. In November, a judge declared a mistrial after jurors said they were deadlocked on all three charges. 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. 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 a statement provided to BuzzFeed News on behalf of the law firm Boies Schiller Flexner, two of the women and one of their husbands said they were "completely committed" to participating and testifying in the next trial against Masterson. Its a new era. 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. 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. In 2016, she connected and shared stories with the woman who says she was raped while in a relationship with Masterson. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. After a jury failed to reach a verdict last year regarding rape charges against Danny Masterson, the actors retrial began on Monday. 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!. 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. "Our office has decided to retry this case," Mueller told the courtroom, according to Variety. Prosecutors have indicated that they might call a former church member, Claire Headley, to testify as an expert witness about Scientologys practices and policies. The jury in the previous trial were not able to reach that verdict, with the deadlocked case declared a mistrial. 1, aka Jen B, and the other women including Jane Doe No. Masterson was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents occurring between 2001 and 2003, CNN previously reported. Stephanie Baer is a reporter with BuzzFeed News and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. 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. If true and Masterson is convicted, society would not only be protected from a violent felon, and should be protected from a violent felon," Olmedo said. After a jury failed to reach a verdict last year regarding rape charges against Danny Masterson, the actors retrial began on Monday. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. 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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 I wish them nothing but success. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. 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. Thats when, just over an hour after a return from a lunch break, a frustrated Olmedo told the jury to leave and gave the assembled lawyers a piece of her judicial mind. [jwplayer FlEK2LEJ-zhNYySv2] A fifth woman came forward in December 2017, claiming that while she was dating the actor, he repeatedly raped her. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. The LAPDs investigation was prompted by multiple police reports and journalist Tony Ortegas report of three womens alleged accounts of rape, sodomy or sexual assault, which he posted on his blog, The Underground Bunker. 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. said the ethics officer told Christina B, who was in a six-year relationship with Masterson, a second-generation Scientologist, and joined the church for him. The fact that its Danny Masterson from That 70s Show its not just local media reporting on a local case, it blows it up way bigger. Prosecutors said they plan to retry Masterson on the same counts. LOS ANGELES A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday at the rape trial of That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson after jurors, who were leaning strongly toward This and many other similarities between the women's stories come from them talking to each other and cross-pollinating the details of their accounts, something they did multiple times even after the detective in the case warned them that such communication could taint the case against Masterson, Cohen said. In November 2001, the document says, she awoke to Masterson having sex with her and told him to stop. She also pulled his hair, and he hit her, it states. The other two accusers, Chrissie Carnell Bixler and Bobette Riales, previously dated the star. The lawyer, according to the woman, warned that she would be expelled from the church if she went to authorities. Two of the women involved in the case alleged that the Church of Scientology, to which they and Mr Masterson belonged, had discouraged them from reporting the alleged rapes. The third woman went to police in 2017. 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 However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused. 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. Two of the alleged victims in the case issued a statement saying they were disappointed Masterson has evaded criminal accountability for his deplorable acts. Actor Danny Masterson is arraigned on three rape charges in separate incidents in 2001 and 2003, at Los Angeles Superior Court, Los Angeles, California, Its a dishonest and hallucinatory publicity stunt.. 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. "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. 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. After the morning recess and before the 90-minute lunch break, Mueller had continued his vivid opening statement, albeit with a bit less fuel than earlier. She testified she had set boundaries and was clear there was to be no sex. The Times generally does not 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. Discovery Company. I tried pushing him off me and saying, No, I dont want to have sex with you, the document states. He had denied the charges, saying he was being persecuted for his membership of the Church of Scientology. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. Danny Masterson trial for rape case ends: What was he accused of? More questions answered, Masterson'sdefense attorneyPhilip Cohen filed a motion to have the rape charges tossed after a judge announced a retrial date for March. 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. I stayed quiet long enough. The show also starred Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama. 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. 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. Masterson maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings and claimed that he only had consensual sex with the women. When it was his turn to question the woman, Deputy Dist. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. 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. Concertgoer lets out a loud full body orgasm while L.A. Phil plays Tchaikovskys 5th, How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! 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. Variety 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. Its not a nice thing.. 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. Frequently interrupted by sustained objections from Mueller, Cohen went into an expectations game of what Jane Doe No 1, aka Jen B, will say about the alleged sexual assault more than 20 years ago at Mastersons Hollywood Hills home.