Appeals Court Upholds Danny Masterson's 30-Year Sentence

A California appeals court on Tuesday upheld Danny Masterson's rape convictions and his 30-year sentence. "The judgment is affirmed," said three judges of the Second Appellate District, rejecting his challenge to the way two trials were run. Deadline reported the ruling.

Masterson, the "That '70s Show" star, was convicted three years ago of raping two women. The panel also rejected claims that Scientology was unfairly dragged into the trials.

The Scientology evidence

Masterson and the Church argued that Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo wrongly let in material about Scientology, its inner workings, its leader David Miscavige and the roles of Masterson and his victims in the Church. The 89-page ruling noted that the trial court allowed evidence that the victims had a pending civil action alleging harassment and stalking against Masterson, Scientology and Miscavige. It also allowed evidence of a settlement between Masterson and one of the women, J.B., and the amount paid to her.

The panel found that admitting the evidence "did not violate the First Amendment and was not an abuse of the trial court's discretion." The judges added: "The jury in this case was not asked to determine the truth or falsity of Scientology doctrine or beliefs."

The court also swept aside other objections, covering the LAPD, admitted evidence and pretrial procedures. It said that because it found no individual errors, there could be no cumulative error depriving him of a fair trial.

What happens next

Under the ruling, Masterson stays ineligible for parole until 2042. His attorneys, Cliff Gardner and Eric Multhaup, told Deadline they will try to take the case to the California Supreme Court. They also plan to seek habeas corpus relief based on what they call "substantial exculpatory evidence that was never presented to the jury." Representatives of the Church of Scientology did not respond to Deadline's request for comment.

Masterson was arrested in 2020 over alleged assaults between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood Hills house. He was out on $3 million bail until May 31, 2023, when the verdict in his second trial was handed down on two of three counts. Olmedo sentenced him on September 7, 2023, and he was taken into custody at once. He was later denied bail as a "flight risk."

Both women were Scientology members at the time. In depositions and testimony, they said Church officials told them not to go to the police or face expulsion from the Church and its community, including their families. Masterson had wanted a Scientology representative to testify on its internal processes and dispute those claims.

He was held at Corcoran State Prison before being moved in early 2024 because of threats. He is now at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo.

Source: Deadline