Danny Masterson will be sentenced later this year. Photo: Netflix/Getty
Danny Masterson, one of the main actors of the movie It's 70's. Shaw was found guilty of two counts of rape in a Los Angeles retrial that also raised questions about the role of the Church of Scientology in covering up the crimes.
The 47-year-old actor who played Stephen Hyde in the comedy series faces 30 years in prison for attacks committed at his home in the Hollywood Hills.
Masterson's wife, actor and model Bijou Phillips, gasped when the verdict on two counts of rape was read out, and wept as he was led away in handcuffs.
A jury of seven women and five men made their decision after seven days of deliberation. They were unable to reach a verdict on the third count, that the alleged Masterson raped an old girlfriend.
«I experience a complex set of emotions — relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness — knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will be held accountable for his criminal behavior,» said one of the victims, to whom Masterson was known as member of the Church of Scientology.
Masterson (center) with That '70s Show co-stars Masterson managed to avoid conviction when a jury stalled in December, but prosecutors insisted and retried the actor.
The jurors were told that he slipped the women drinks in order to rape them. Prosecutors said the actor used his position in the church, of which all three women were members at the time, to avoid repercussions for decades.
«We want to express our gratitude to the three women who came forward and bravely shared their experiences,» Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said in a statement after the verdict on Wednesday. “Their courage and strength inspired us all.”
Masterson did not testify, and his lawyers did not call any witnesses. The defense argued that the actions were consensual and attempted to discredit the women's accounts by highlighting changes and inconsistencies over time, which they said showed signs of concordance between them.
Danny Masterson and his wife, Bijou Phillips, arrive for the closing debate of their second trial. Photo: AP Photo
The Church of Scientology played a significant role in the first lawsuit, but perhaps even more so in the second. Judge Charlene F. Olmedo allowed an expert to testify about Church policy from a former Scientology official who became a prominent opponent.
Tensions in the courtroom between current and former Scientologists escalated and even leaked into testimony, with accusers saying on the podium that they felt intimidated by some of the members in the room.
Actress Leah Remini, a former contestant who became the loudest critic of the church, at times she was present at the trial, hugging one of the accusers.
Remini tweeted: “Women survivors of Danny Masterson predation are heroes. For years, they and their families have faced brutal attacks and harassment from Scientologists and Danny's well-funded legal team,» she wrote. «Nevertheless, they fought on, determined to seek justice.»
The Church of Scientology, whose many celebrities include Tom Cruise and John Travolta, denies any involvement in the persecution. He is fighting a civil lawsuit filed by two accusers.
The judge left limits on how much prosecutors can talk about the church, and in the first place allowed an explanation of why it took women so long to go to church. power.
Danny Masterson in one of his first court appearances in 2020
The women testified that when they reported Masterson to church officials, they were told they had not been raped, had themselves gone through ethics programs, and warned against going to law enforcement to report a member of such high standing.
“They were raped, they were punished for it, and they were retaliated against,” Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Müller told jurors in his closing statement. “Scientology told them there was no justice for them. You have the opportunity to show them that justice exists.”
The church categorically denies any policy that prohibits parishioners from turning to secular authorities.
The victims claim to have been drugged
The date of the indictment is set back to between 2001 and 2003, when Masterson was at the height of his fame as one of the main characters in That '70s Show alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace .
Masterson reteamed with Kutcher in the 2016 Netflix comedy The Ranch, but was pulled from the show when the LAPD investigation became public in December 2017.
The two women whose testimonies led to Masterson's conviction said that in 2003 he got them drunk, after which they passed out or passed out before he brutally raped them. He knew both from social circles in the church.
A third, then Masterson's girlfriend, whose account puzzled the jury, said she woke up to find him raping her and had to pull his hair to get stop.
«The accused is drugging his victims to gain control,» Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson said in her closing statement. «He does this to deprive his victims of the opportunity to give consent.»
Masterson has not been charged with drug use, and there is no toxicological evidence to support this claim. His lawyer requested a mistrial over the inclusion of the issue.
The motion was denied, but this issue is likely to be a major factor in any potential appeal.
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