Danny Masterson faces 30 years in prison after appeal loss

A 30-year prison sentence now stands for Danny Masterson, the actor best known for That '70s Show, after a California appellate court rejected his bid to overturn a rape conviction. The three-judge panel issued its decision in an 89-page ruling on Tuesday, ending the legal challenge that Masterson filed in December.

Masterson was convicted in 2023 on two counts of rape involving two women in 2003. A third count, related to an incident in 2001, had been dismissed earlier in the legal process. During the trial, prosecutors argued that Masterson, a prominent member of the Church of Scientology, used his status within the organization to shield himself from accountability. They noted that all three accusers were members of the church at the time and delayed reporting the assaults out of fear.

Two accusers testified that they reported Masterson to church officials and were told the encounters were not rapes. They described being subjected to ethics programs, a series of repeated interrogations, and warned against contacting police. One woman stated she was shunned for reporting the matter. The trial judge, Charlaine F Olmedo, allowed Claire Headley, a former Scientologist, to serve as an expert witness on the church's practices. Headley testified that Scientology views going to law enforcement as a suppressive act that can lead to excommunication.

Masterson's lawyers, Cliff Gardner and Eric Multhaup, argued on appeal that the trial judge was biased against the religion and that the court improperly interpreted church doctrine. The appellate panel disagreed, finding that Olmedo’s statements showed no animus or departure from neutrality. The court wrote that the jury was not asked to determine the truth or falsity of Scientology beliefs, and that admitting evidence on the topic did not violate the First Amendment. The panel also rejected claims regarding the statute of limitations and the adequacy of the defense.

Gardner and Multhaup called the outcome an unfortunate decision in a statement to Variety. They said Masterson would appeal the ruling to the California Supreme Court. The Church of Scientology had previously stated that the descriptions of its beliefs given at trial were uniformly false. The church added that it has no policy discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct to law enforcement.