Danny Masterson cut a low-key figure as he stepped out in Glendale, Calif. on Monday – a day before it was announced he was facing a retrial in March for three counts of rape.
The That ’70s Show star, 46, looked thoughtful as he strolled down a street amid his legal troubles wearing a baseball cap and a heavy beard.
Masterson, 46, played Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show. He is accused of raping three women, including a former girlfriend, at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.
A judge declared a mistrial when the jury was “hopelessly deadlocked” in the first trial last year.
Sighting: Danny Masterson cut a low-key figure as he stepped out in Glendale, California on Monday – a day before it was announced he was facing a retrial in March for three counts of rape
The Church of Scientology, to which Masterson belongs, is accused of discouraging victims from going public. It will be sued in a separate case in civil court.
In November, a jury of six men and six women in Los Angeles told Judge Charlaine Olmedo they could not reach a decision after four days of discussions.
Masterson pleaded not guilty to all three counts. The jury said they were “not even close” to reaching a unanimous decision on the charges.
On the run: The 46-year-old That ’70s Show star looked thoughtful as he strolled down a street amid his legal troubles while wearing a baseball cap and sporting a heavy beard
Walking: The actor was spotted with his mother walking down the street
Deputy Public Prosecutor Reinhold Müller announced: “Our office has decided to retry this case.
“Not to give these victims another chance with a jury that can sit there and examine all the evidence – win, lose or draw – that would be an injustice.”
Judge Charlaine Olmedo denied a defense motion to dismiss the case after defense attorney Philip Cohen argued it was “unlikely” that a jury would reach a unanimous verdict.
He said: “It’s not that things that Mr. Mueller thinks are important or significant have been ignored.
“It’s that things were discussed and for some of the jury weren’t considered important to the decision-making process.”
But Judge Olmdeo ruled that Cohen’s arguments were “speculative and unsupported by facts.”
Low key: The actor wore a baseball cap as he walked down the street
She added: “It seems that there are many other witnesses that the people could call on, or different arguments that the people could put forward.
“A different outcome in a retrial is at least a possibility.”
The court has set a retrial date for March 27.
In the trial of the violent rape of Jane Doe, 1 jurors found Masterson guilty and 10 voted in favor of his acquittal.
On count two, the violent rape of Jane Doe 2, there were four votes guilty and eight votes for acquittal.
Masterson left the courthouse with his wife, Bijou Phillips, following the verdict in November last year
Danny Masterson played funny Steven Hyde, fourth from left, on That ’70s Show from 1998 to 2006
A judge declared a mistrial in November after a jury said they were hopelessly deadlocked at the trial of That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson, who is charged with three counts of rape
On count three, the violent rape of Jane Doe 3, there were five votes for guilty and seven for acquittal.
His accusers are all ex-Scientologists and are also suing him and the Church of Scientology in civil court, alleging they have been harassed and intimidated since reporting him to the police.
All three women who accused Masterson of the rape testified that the reason it took them so long to report him was fear of retaliation from the Church of Scientology.
They said church officials warned them not to use the word rape and that another Scientologist’s complaint was considered a “felony” by law enforcement.
They said if they disobeyed this doctrine, they could be declared a “suppressive person,” cast out from the church and left alone, cut off from family and friends.
All three rapes are believed to have occurred at Masterson’s Hollywood Hills home
The original Fox sitcom aired for eight seasons from 1998 to 2006 and was nominated for 16 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning only one in 1999 for costume design.
The only cast member not to return is Danny Masterson, who was accused of raping three women between 2001 and 2003 while on the series portraying troubled multiracial teenager Steven Hyde.
The jury in the Scientologist’s rape trial was deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial on November 30, leaving a brand new trial to begin next March.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo denied a motion to dismiss Masterson, whose defense attorney argued it was “unlikely” that a jury would reach a unanimous verdict