After a messy turn of events since Danny Masterson’s (Men at Work, The Ranch) mistrial occurred, the former That 70’s Show actor faces charges of alleged rape of three women between 2001 and 2003. As reported by Deadline and Variety, Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo of the California Superior Court in Los Angeles County will preside over this case again with new Jurors and newly gathered evidence.
It has been a long time coming for many regarding the significance of this case. Masterson was formerly on That 70’s Show and had been involved with other productions such as Face/Off (1997), The Rooster (2010), Men at Work (2012-2014), and The Ranch from 2016 to the end of 2017. In June of 2020, he was arrested and charged with forcible rape of three women who were associated with the Church of Scientology.
Reported by Deadline, The Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney, Reinhold Mueller, made an opening statement relating to the case: This case is about the forcible rape of three women. The evidence will show they were drugged.”
Here is what allegedly happened with Masterson and these three women. From The New York Times, the first accuser known as Jen B was allegedly part of his close friend group from the Church of Scientology.
She allegedly stopped by his house to pick up keys in 2003. He then allegedly gave her a laced drink and allegedly raped her. She first filed a police report in 2004, but nothing came of it at the time. She then tried again to contact authorities in 2016.
Another woman known as Christina B is a model and actor who was allegedly in a relationship with Masterson from 1996 to 2002. She joined the Church of Scientology after they began dating.
She testified during the first trial that she allegedly lived with Masterson in 2001 when he allegedly became abusive to her. She said that about a month in, she allegedly woke up while allegedly being raped. She would also contact authorities in 2016.
The third woman known as N. Trout at the center of the trial had only allegedly recently met Masterson through mutual friends in the church through parties and events between October and December of 2003.
She alleges that Masterson invited her to his house, he allegedly made her a spiked drink and allegedly got her to get into his jacuzzi naked. Afterwards he then allegedly took her to his bed and raped her. She went to file a police report in 2017.
According to Variety, During the two-month span of the trial back in 2022, the jurors leaned toward acquittal with votes of 10-2, 8-4 and 7-5 on the three counts, however many issues arose with evidence, witnesses, expert testimonies, and numerous other variables that resulted in a deadlock between the jurors.
During that time, Masterson’s defense argued that a new jury would not be able to reach a unanimous verdict with the evidence that was provided. Meanwhile, the prosecution argued that the jury ignored supporting testimony in the case. According to prosecutor Reinhold Mueller, “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,” via. Variety
From that same article, the presiding judge overseeing this case, Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo, said arguments about what a future jury might do were “speculative and unsupported by the facts” and that a “different outcome at a retrial is at least a possibility.”
This new trial would operate similarly as the previous one only with new jurors, new evidence, new experts, and new testimonies supporting the three women connected to the charges. What might be the biggest difference though is how the Church of Scientology itself would play a role in the theme. Since the three attached defendants were all “Scientologists”, they had to follow their rules to stay in line. From The New York Times, Christina B reported the rape to the church’s “ethics officer” or “master at arms.” The officer allegedly told her, “You can’t rape someone that you’re in a relationship with” and “Don’t say that word again.”
From that same article, the officer allegedly showed her the Ethics Book about high crimes in Scientology, including strict rules forbidding “reporting another Scientologist to law enforcement,” and if she did contact law enforcement, “the church would have ultimately destroyed” her and declared her a “suppressive person.”
“If you’re a member of the church and you have an issue (like a rape) with another member … you are not permitted to go to law enforcement,” Mueller claimed when explaining the “church’s internal justice system.” “You have to give him [Masterson] sex when he wants it,” the Assistant D.A. said the ethics officer allegedly told Christine B. via. Deadline.
From that same article, the prosecution is going to try to make a statement out of the church through this trial. They had brought on former Scientologist Leah Remini (The King of Queens, Kevin Can Wait) who did not appear in the first trial. She had been served a subpoena and has been a critical pain in the side for church leader David Miscavige. According to The Los Angeles Times, she made a tweet stating, “The women who Danny raped deserve justice for what they’ve been put through, not only by Danny but by Scientology which has tried to destroy them for reporting their rapes.”
When bringing up the church, that was something Judge Olmedo tried to avoid so as to not cause a stir or to confuse jurors but has surfaced again and again. This is despite the fact that the church is not named as a defendant in this trial or the previous one.
Mueller also brought on Kathleen Jenkins, a witness who is not part of the three women attached to the charges but acts as another supporting figure for the prosecution. Jenkins alleges that Masterson raped her in 2000 at the wrap party for Dracula 2000 in Toronto. Just like the other accusations cited by the D.A., Jenkins alleges handed a spiked drink by Masterson and supposedly became lightheaded and confused soon afterwards. via. Deadline
For the defense, Masterson has Philip Cohen from the previous trial. He also brought on Shawn Holley, who was part of O.J. Simpson’s defense during his trial nearly 28 years earlier. He has also represented other celebrities such as Lindsey Lohan. This appears to many as a much heavier endeavor than the previous trial due to the circumstances of what happened during late 2022 and many more accusations against Masterson surfacing.
More would develop as the hours go by. If convicted, Masterson faces up to 45 years in state prison. The retrial is expected to last more than a month. Masterson before his arrest was fired from the Netflix comedy The Ranch at the end of 2017 as assault claims surfaced. He always presumed innocence and insisted that he had consensual sex with these women.