Scientology Takes Center Stage at Rape Retrial of a ‘That ’70s Show’ Star, Danny Masterson

The Church of Scientology will take center stage at actor Danny Masterson retrial, which began on Monday. The “That ’70s Show” star is accused of raping three women in the early 2000s. The first trial four months ago ended in a mistrial. Mr. Masterson’s role as a high-ranking Scientologist, and how this influenced the alleged victims’ decisions about whether to come forward, is expected to be at the center of the new trial as it was the last. This time, jurors are expected to hear from dueling father and daughter Scientologist witnesses.Two of the alleged victims are former Scientologists themselves, but all of them claim that the church was involved in trying to silence them after they came forward. The two former Scientologists also claim that the church discouraged them from bringing the issue to the police after the alleged rapes.According to a well-known journalist and Scientology expert, Tony Ortega, the defense and prosecution are both expected to call Scientology expert witnesses: a former Sea Org official, Clare Headley, for the prosecution, and a high-ranking Scientologist, Hugh Martin Whitt, for the defense.In an ironic twist of fate, this means that Mr. Whitt will be testifying against his own estranged stepdaughter, Ms. Headley.The Masterson case began with a Los Angeles Police Department investigation in March 2017 after three women alleged that the actor had sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s. Another woman made separate allegations later.The allegations, while more than a decade old, arose during the height of the #MeToo movement, when many longstanding allegations were surfacing against powerful media figures. After the allegations became public, Mr. Masterson immediately denied them via a spokesman, alleging that they were part of a larger anti-Scientology campaign led by an ex-Scientologist, Leah Remini, star of “King of Queens” and a prolific anti-Scientologist activist.“We are aware of [the alleged victim’s] 16-year-old allegations,” a spokesman for Mr. Masterson told the Hollywood Reporter in 2017. “It was only after [the alleged victim] was in contact with Leah Remini that she made allegations of sexual assault by Mr. Masterson.”Ms. Remini has been a frequent critic of her former church and is the producer of “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath,” a hit TV series that is highly critical of the church.As the allegations against Mr. Masterson gained more traction, he was fired from Netflix’s “The Ranch” in late 2017. He was to have co-starred in the show with actor Ashton Kutcher, also of “That ’70s Show” fame.“In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Mr. Masterson said in response to being fired. “However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.”More than a year later, in August 2019, four of Mr. Masterson’s accusers sued him, the Church of Scientology, and its leader, David Miscavige, for allegedly stalking them in a separate civil case.The women alleged that “the defendants conspired to and systematically stalked, harassed, invaded their and their family’s privacy, and intentionally caused them emotional distress to silence and intimidate them.”Although the church attempted to intervene, invoking a clause in its member contract that stipulates disputes are supposed to be handled via internal arbitration, the Supreme Court denied the church’s petition and the case will go forward.The criminal case that Mr. Masterson is facing began in June 2020, when Mr. Masterson was arrested and charged with rape.He stands accused of allegedly raping one woman in 2001 and two other women in 2003 on separate occasions at his Hollywood Hills home. Mr. Masterson maintains his innocence. The city of Los Angeles district attorney’s office declined to charge Mr. Masterson on two other potential sexual assault charges, one due to lack of evidence and one due to the statute of limitations.At the core of all three of the allegations against Mr. Masterson is his and the victims’ relationship with the Church of Scientology and claims that the church helped defend Mr. Masterson.The jury in the first trial was unable to reach a unanimous verdict in November, leaning toward acquittal in three votes. The prosecution now plans to call new witnesses. In the first case, it called on only 16 of 36 witnesses to testify. Because of the new witnesses, Judge Charlaine Olmedo denied the defense’s request to dismiss the case.“It appears there are many other witnesses people could choose,” Judge Olmedo said. “Mr. Masterson is charged with multiple counts of serious and violent felonies — forcible rapes. If true and Masterson is convicted, society would not only be protected from a violent felon, and it should be protected from a violent felon.”

Scientology Takes Center Stage at Rape Retrial of a ‘That ’70s Show’ Star, Danny Masterson

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