Posted on 10/18/2022 7:21:49 AM PDT by Red Badger
Danny Masterson, former star of the long-running sitcom “That ‘70s Show,” is about to face three women in court who say he raped them two decades ago at a trial whose key figures are all current or former members of the Church of Scientology.
Opening statements could begin as early as Tuesday in the Los Angeles trial of the 46-year-old Masterson, and while a judge has expressed her determination not to have the church become the center of the proceedings, it will inevitably loom large.
Masterson is charged with raping the women between 2001 and 2003 in his home, which functioned as a social hub when he was at the height of his fame. Masterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
One of the women had been Masterson’s longtime girlfriend. Another was a longtime friend, and the third a newer acquaintance.
All three were members of the Church of Scientology, as Masterson still is. All three accusers have since left, and they said the church’s insistence that it deal internally with problems between members made them hesitant at first to go to authorities.
“This is not going to become a trial on Scientology,” Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo asserted at a pre-trial hearing. But she said she would allow its discussion as a reason why the women delayed reporting to authorities.
Testimony at a preliminary hearing last year to determine whether Masterson should go to trial last year included frequent use of Scientology jargon that lawyers had to ask the witnesses to explain. And the trial’s witness list is full of members and former members of the church, which has a strong presence in Los Angeles and has counted many famous figures among its members.
(Excerpt) Read more at wdbj7.com ...
My least favorite character on the show.
21-19 years ago...
I guess we’ll get information during the trial.
All the prosecutor has to do is show all the episodes of The
Ranch Danny appeared in and Danny is burnt toast.
Fez had a higher moral standard.
Xenu won’t save him.
Turns out the character Hyde came off as sleazy because the actor was sleazy.
This guy had a small role in Party of Five, and his character tried to rape Jennifer Love Hewitt’s character.
He raped them at a trial…bold
“Bailiff...whack his pee pee!”
I highly doubt there is DNA evidence from a rape kit. It doesn’t sound like there are witnesses. There isn’t a doctor’s examination indicating forced sex. It is their word against his. I can’t even see how this gets into a courtroom. I thought this #MeToo crap had been discredited and has gone away. Apparently not.
LOL.
Statutes of limitations are, in general, a good thing. These rapes are alleged to have happened 20 years ago. Is rape now in the same category as murder, no time limit?
Perfect.
I think that varies by state. There is a difference between rape and murder other than a slight seriousness of a crime. The victim of rape can file a police report. The victim of murder cannot. Perhaps there needs to be a time limit to report rapes to police.
In principle I agree with you. However, Scientology is very relevant in this case. There are eye witnesses to the head of Scientology beating other Scientologists and of them allowing this without retaliation because ‘he’s the leader of Scientology’. If you are told to keep dirty laundry within Scientology, and you are a true Scientology believer, you don’t report things. The consequences for doing so can be very significant.
At first look, this looks like women visiting a man’s home, and then accusing him of having sex without written consent. Maybe there is something more here, but it looks like a very weak case that wouldn’t get past a review of the complaint to police in many places. Remember, this is in LA, CA!
I hated that stuff!................
“Start them on their way with Tang.”
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