Danny Masterson's Rape Conviction Survives Appeal, 30-Year Term Stands
A California appeals court rejected arguments that the trial judge was biased against Scientology.
By Marco Kapoor ·
Danny Masterson's 30-year prison sentence will stand after a California appeals court rejected his challenge to the rape conviction. A three-judge panel issued an 89-page ruling on Tuesday denying the appeal filed in December by lawyers for the actor, who is known for his role on That '70s Show.
The case began with allegations from three women who were members of the Church of Scientology. Prosecutors said Masterson used his standing in the church to avoid accountability, and that the women delayed going to police because of a rule against contacting law enforcement. Two accusers testified that after reporting Masterson to church officials, they were told they had not been raped. They said they were put through "ethics programs" that they likened to repeated interrogations and warned against going to police. One woman said she was shunned and ostracised for doing so.
In 2023, a Los Angeles jury convicted Masterson on two counts of rape involving two women in 2003. A third charge, involving a woman who said she was raped in 2001, was quashed. Masterson has maintained that sex with all three plaintiffs was consensual.
During the trial, Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo allowed Claire Headley, a former Scientologist, to testify as an expert on the church's beliefs and practices. Headley told the court that Scientology regards going to law enforcement as a "suppressive act" punishable by excommunication. Masterson's appeal, filed by lawyers Cliff Gardner and Eric Multhaup, argued that Olmedo was biased against Scientology and that the court had improperly interpreted church doctrine. The panel rejected those arguments, finding that Olmedo's statements showed "no animus or departure from neutrality regarding Scientology." The judges also rejected claims about the statute of limitations, evidentiary rulings, and the adequacy of the defense.
After the 2023 verdict, the Church of Scientology said the "testimony and descriptions of Scientology beliefs" given at trial were "uniformly false." The church added that it has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct to law enforcement.
Gardner and Multhaup told Variety that they considered the ruling an "unfortunate decision" and would appeal to the California Supreme Court.
