Danny Masterson, the actor best known for his role on the sitcom That ’70s Show, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday for raping two women when he was in the prime of his 20+ years -year career.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo delivered the verdict after hearing testimonies from the women describing the lasting impact of Masterson’s actions on their lives.
“This has been a long and arduous road for Mr. Masterson’s victims,” Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement, adding he hoped the courage of the women would serve as an example to others. “Not only did they survive his abuse, they also survived a system that is often not kind to its victims.”
“Today, justice was finally done,” Mr. Gascón added, noting that one of his top priorities is to ensure that “Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for the Hollywood elite who feel entitled to Exploiting women.”
Alison Anderson, an attorney representing two accusers, said in a statement that her clients “showed tremendous strength and bravery” when they came forward. “Despite ongoing harassment, disability and intimidation,” she said, “these brave women today helped bring a reckless sex offender to justice.”
Shawn Holley, an attorney for Mr. Masterson, told reporters outside the courtroom She said she was “very disappointed” with the verdict, noting that a team of attorneys reviewed the case and found “a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues” that they plan to capitalize on in appeals.
“While we have great respect for the jury and our justice system, sometimes they get it wrong – and that’s what happened here,” Ms. Holley said, noting that Mr. Masterson has pleaded innocent.
Masterson, 47, played Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show from 1998 to 2006 and also co-starred in the television comedy Men at Work from 2012 to 2014. He was last seen in the Netflix comedy The Ranch and was fired from the show in 2017 after the rape allegations came to light.
The case against Masterson drew widespread attention and at times resembled a television saga, due in part to allegations that the Church of Scientology, to which Masterson belonged, had attempted to discourage his accusers.
In May, Masterson was found guilty of raping two women at his home in the Hollywood Hills in the early 2000s. The jury decided on the allegation that the actor raped a third woman.
The mixed verdict came after a jury deadlocked on all three counts in November, resulting in a mistrial.
This spring’s retrial lasted more than a month before Masterson was found guilty of two counts of rape by force or fear.
The legal battle against Masterson began in 2020 when he was indicted on three counts. He pleaded not guilty.
The case was closely watched not only because it involved a Hollywood star who was on trial in the #MeToo era, but also because two of the women from the Church of Scientology, to which they also belong, had accused them of stopping them to report the rapes to the authorities. The church denied having put pressure on the victims.
A prosecutor, identified as Christina B., who said Masterson raped her in 2001 when they were in a relationship, reported the rape to the church’s “ethics officer,” according to court documents. That officer told her, according to the documents, “You shouldn’t rape anyone you’re related to” and “Don’t say that word again.”
Court documents also said Masterson raped another woman named Jen B. in April 2003 after giving her a drink. Jen B., who had sought permission from the church to report the rape, later received a written response from the church’s international chief justice, citing a 1965 policy brief in which she had raised concerns that she could be pushed out of her family and friends if she reported a fellow Scientologist to the police. Nevertheless, she reported the rape in 2004.
A third accuser, identified as N. Trout, who was raped in 2003, did not tell the church but told her mother and best friend. “If you have a legal situation with another member of the church, you are not allowed to resolve it outside of the church, and it is very explicit,” she said, according to court documents. She added that she felt “sufficiently intimidated by the implications.”
Ms. Anderson, the attorney for two of the accusers, said her clients planned to continue to hold the Church of Scientology accountable for trying to silence them.
“They are committed to soon telling the fuller story of how Scientology and its supporters desperately tried to stop them from coming forward,” she said in the statement.