Unlike the last trial, those drug claims were heavily articulated today by Mueller, who repeatedly noted how the Jane Does, all former Scientologists, complained of being disoriented after sipping a drink made for them by Masterson before the alleged sexual assaults. After the lunch break, Mueller wrapped his opening statement to tell the jurors of expert witnesses who will be testifying about date-rape drug symptoms and forensic psychology, among other topics. All three Jane Does in the case are former members of Scientology. "The contradictory nature of their trial testimony is not going to credibly change. Danny Mastersons Sexual Assault Trial: Everything to Know - Us We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences.. Mesereau also brought out a copy of Introduction to Scientology Ethics, a 528-page tome written by Hubbard, as he cross-examined another alleged victim. 1. Masterson has not been charged with assaulting Kathy J. According to the brief, Masterson raped her after she regained consciousness on his bed. Seeking to taint the scene for the prosecution before testimony begins, the tactic certainly proved a welcoming spoiler for the defense last time, and they are clearly betting history will repeat itself. The church said in a statement on Wednesday that it has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone, Scientologists or not, to law enforcement., Quite the opposite, the statement said. Danny Masterson In February 2022, the actor sought to have the criminal rape charges dismissed. Danny Masterson appears in court on rape charges, That '70s Show star charged with raping three women, More than 20,000 Russians dead in Bakhmut, US says, France May Day protests leave dozens of police injured, Fighter jets are roaring over my home in Sudan. Danny Masterson The actor Danny Masterson at his arraignment on rape charges in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2020. He has denied the allegations and has pleaded not guilty. To hold otherwise would bind members irrevocably to a faith they have the constitutional right to leave.. One of the women had beenMastersons longtime girlfriend. In 2016, she connected and shared stories with the woman who says she was raped while in a relationship with Masterson. One woman testified that she wrote a letter to an International Justice Chief, whom she described as the churchs ultimate authority on disputes between Scientologists, seeking permission to sue Masterson and report him to police. The evidence will show that they were drugged," Mueller told the jury. It should be pointed out the alleged victims are currently suing Danny for significant financial damages, the insider said. The judge in the Danny Masterson rape trial declared a hung jury on Wednesday, after the jurors said they could not reach a verdict on any of the charges. Danny Masterson To Face New Rape Trial After Jury Deadlocked Danny Masterson will go to trial, again, for rape case after Masterson is a prominent member of the church. The accusations were made in 2017, during the #MeToo movement which saw many Hollywood stars accused of sexual assault. But Mueller said he will call an analyst from the police toxicology unit, who will tell you how some of the most common drug-facilitated sexual assaults, how some of the most common date rape drugs work, how quickly theyre metabolized, what side effects look like., Cohen responded that a toxicologist can come in opine to whatever they want, but there is no toxicology report, theres no urine, no blood work, no DNA.. Specifically, the lawyer sought to shred the discrepancies between what Jen B told officers about a gun Masterson had in a bedside drawer and what exactly occurred when the defendant took it out after the alleged rape. Masterson, 47, could get 45 years in prison if convicted. Attempts to subpoena church records and call former Scientologists to testify, including Remini, were unsuccessful, however. While we are disappointed with the outcome in this trial, we thank the jurors for their service, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorneys Office said in a statement to Us at the time. But the institution and its practices took center stage as the three women, who are all former Scientologists, testified about how church officials allegedly tried to shield the actor from accountability. When I came to, he was still on top of me," she claimed. The Church has strongly denied pressurising victims. Direct discussion of drugging was missing from the first trial which ended in a mistrial when a jury deadlocked on all three counts with Mueller instead having to imply it through the testimony of the women, who said they were woozy, disoriented and at times unconscious on the nights they described the actor raping them. UPDATED, 3:08 PM: Please dont ever tell me to hold on, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo snapped at Danny Mastersons lead lawyer Phillip Cohen in a remarkable moment Monday afternoon over the defenses opening statements in Mastersons rape retrial. According to Variety, the jurors had leaned toward acquittal on all three counts, but Mueller argued on Tuesday that the jury had ignored supporting testimony. In the first trial, prosecutors strongly suggested but never truly came out to claim the relatively famous Masterson date-raped the Jane Does by dropping something in the fruity drinks he mixed for the women in question. Prosecutors have indicated that they might call a former church member, Claire Headley, to testify as an expert witness about Scientologys practices and policies. Masterson, 46, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of forcible rape and remains free on $3.3 million bail, has denied all the allegations against him. But at a hearing last week in the rape case against actor Danny Masterson, church officials were unable to stop their practices from being debated in open court. Actor Danny Masterson drugged, raped women, prosecutor says Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. Review: Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath is a compelling, if unsophisticated, investigation of church, Fathers memoir spurs Scientology leader David Miscavige to threaten lawsuit, When you make a movie about Scientology, Scientology comes to you: A walk with Louis Theroux through L. Rons hood. The third woman said Masterson raped her on a night in 2003 after texting her to come to his house. It has hired private detectives to keep tabs on straying members, and experts say its lawyers vigorously defend against legal incursions, arguing to judges that Scientologys beliefs are not courtroom fodder. Scientology is not a defendant just Masterson, he also stated, much as he did in longtime church member Mastersons previous trial last year. Expected to be in court every day, as he was in the five-week first trial, Masterson has been free on $3.3 million bail the past three years. You have to give him [Masterson] sex when he wants it, the Assistant D.A. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. Masterson continued: I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. She fired back that the document had been written by church officials, who took comments shed made to a Scientology counselor out of context and repurposed them to defend Masterson. Its an area Cohen often struggled to find a consistent tone for during the last trial. Although the defense sought to have any mention of Scientology barred from the proceedings during a pre-trial hearing, the request was denied. This and many other similarities between the women's stories come from them talking to each other and cross-pollinating the details of their accounts, something they did multiple times even after the detective in the case warned them that such communication could taint the case against Masterson, Cohen said. Video, The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, More than 100 police hurt in French May Day protests, MasterChef Australia host Jock Zonfrillo dies, Explosion derails train in Russian border region, Street piano confiscated as public 'break rules', Trump rape accuser returns to witness stand, US rock band Aerosmith announce farewell tour, Father tells how gunman opened fire on Texas home, Disney faces countersuit in feud with Florida. "We are pleased that Danny Masterson will not be permitted to simply escape criminal accountability," they said. Another woman, who was born into Scientology and planned to report Masterson to police in 2004, a year after she said he raped her at his Hollywood mansion, recounted how a Scientology attorney showed up at her familys home. CNNs Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report. Danny Masterson verdict: Judge declares mistrial after jury ", During the hearing Tuesday, Olmedo pointed out that prosecutors only called 16 out of 36 potential witnesses and thus "a different outcome at a retrial is at least a possibility," the judge said, per Variety. For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews Subscribe on YouTube! Make no mistake, the Church of Scientology is under attack, a source exclusively told Us at the time. The alleged incident took place withthree women between 2001 and 2003 in his home, which functioned as a social hub when he was at the height of his fame. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced the news after arresting the Yes Man actor in June 2020. As the hearing wore on, Mesereau appeared to change tactics, introducing church documents as evidence in an attempt to undercut the credibility of Mastersons accusers. Not because of Mr. Mastersons celebrity status, but because of the heinous allegations by the alleged victims., The insider added: This is a high-profile case, and it needs to be airtight before any decision is made about charging Danny Masterson.. Jurors were deadlocked in debate after the weekslong trial came to a close on Nov. 30. ), Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock. Before that, citing Jen Bs 2004 LAPD report, Cohen put the credibility of now-Superintendent Alexander Schlegel as well as that of other law enforcement up against that of Jane Doe No. write-up and suggested the church document amounted to an admission by the woman that her encounter with Masterson had been consensual and driven by her promiscuity. Danny Masterson, the former star of "That '70s Show," will face a second trial on rape charges. She reached for his hair to try to pull him off and attempted to push a pillow into his face, it states. 5 min read. Masterson is charged with three counts of rape by force or fear, which could mean up to 45 years in prison if convicted. Im not going to fight my ex-girlfriend in the media like shes been baiting me to do for more than two years. The case against Masterson, who starred in the 2000s sitcom That 70s Show, is a relatively rare example of a Scientologist facing criminal charges based on accusations from other church members, Rinder said. Todays proceedings followed a week of jury selection, motions and other housekeeping. In June 2020, a source exclusively told Us that Masterson had a robust defense prepared after being charged with three counts of rape. Actor Danny Masterson drugged then raped three women at his Hollywood-area home between 2001 and 2003, a prosecutor told jurors Monday in his opening The three women who have accused Masterson of rape were identified in court by their first names and initials of their last names. Prosecutors had suggested during the first trial that he might have drugged the women but did not say so directly, as they presented testimony that the women felt disoriented or confused after Masterson gave them alcoholic drinks. Seated at the defense table today, the suited Masterson looked at the jury during Muellers opening statement and Cohens remarks, occasionally moving his facial muscles and stroking his jaw. This is blatantly clear in the documents we understand were put before the Court and many others, Pouw wrote, repeatedly noting the church is not a party in the criminal case. The evidence will show they were drugged, the prosecutor added of the three Jane Does at the heart of the Scientology spotlighting matter. With Remini sitting in the front row surrounded by an entourage, Olmedo denied the request before the jury was brought into the packed courtroom. Deliberations in the case began in mid-November, but soon reached a deadlock which could not be resolved. The prosecutions opening statement is anticipated to concluded after the courts regular morning break, with the defense set to beginning their opening statement later today. Masterson was charged in 2020 with forcibly raping three women in separate incidents occurring between 2001 and 2003, CNN previously reported. Actor Danny Masterson, left, stands with his attorney, Thomas Mesereau, as he is arraigned on rape charges in Los Angeles in September 2020. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. L.A. has a new answer. Masterson would co-star with Kutcher again on Netflixs The Ranch. He also had a role on TBSs Men at Work. (TBS, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. He wasnt charged with five counts because two of the womens cases had insufficient evidence and statutes of limitations. In November 2022, the jury was unable to come to a unanimous vote on the three charges Masterson faced causing the judge to declare it a mistrial. He and the woman read aloud passages that she said she understood were official church doctrine that discourages Scientologists from reporting fellow parishioners to law enforcement. Actor Danny Masterson drugged, raped women, prosecutor says The drugging allegations had echoes of the trial of Bill Cosby, where women testified to similar experiences. He responded by saying that he had not been charged or convicted of a crime, and that in the climate at the time "it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused". The jury in the previous trial were not able to reach that verdict, with the deadlocked case declared a mistrial. In statements to The Times, the church denied it has a policy that dissuades members from reporting crimes, despite repeated references to Scientology texts during the hearing that appeared to include the directive. More questions answered, Masterson'sdefense attorneyPhilip Cohen filed a motion to have the rape charges tossed after a judge announced a retrial date for March. A retrial date has been set for March 29, beginning with jury selection. Danny Masterson. At the time, Masterson said he was obviously very disappointed by the decision, in a statement to CNN. An appeals court ruled in January 2022 that Mastersons accusers do not have to take their case to a religious arbitration panel run by the Church of Scientology after claiming in a civil suit that Masterson and Miscavige stalked and harassed them. BBC News A jury in Los Angeles has failed to reach a verdict in a rape case against US actor Danny Masterson. Rinder said that in recent years, the churchs responses to media inquiries had become hermit-like. The fact that the church issued a detailed defense of its practices to The Times is a sign the Masterson case has become a significant problem for the church, he said. write-ups. A prosecutor repeatedly evoked books and letters written by Hubbard. Danny Masterson Rape Trial Ends in Mistrial Verdict, Sexual Attorneys for both sides acknowledged that there is no forensic evidence of any substances Masterson may have given the women because the police investigation that led to the two trials did not begin until about 15 years after the events. PREVIOUSLY, 10:32 AM: This case is about the forcible rape of three women, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller said in his opening statement Monday in Danny Mastersons retrial on multiple rape charges. In one of Ortegas posts, he claimed that one victim approached Leah Remini, who was a Scientologist like Masterson for decades, and told her what allegedly happened. In Thats when, just over an hour after a return from a lunch break, a frustrated Olmedo told the jury to leave and gave the assembled lawyers a piece of her judicial mind. See Which Stars Have Gotten Engaged in 2023, Taylor Swift Sings About 'Falling Back in Love' on New Duet After Split, Meghan King Wears 'Fk You' Sweatshirt to Kids School, Jim Edmonds Reacts, charged in June 2020 with allegedly raping three women, sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s, a church that Masterson has been a part of, continued to be investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department, Masterson, along with the Church of Scientology, could face up to 45 years to a life sentence, investigating claims that Masterson sexually assaulted multiple women, Bobette Riales came forward with allegations, charged with three counts of rape by force or fear, Mastersons accusers do not have to take their case. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. According to a trial brief filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office in September, Masterson raped a woman, identified only as Jen B., in April 2003 after she went to his house to pick up keys and he gave her a red vodka drink. Simpsons so-called Dream Team, plus legal battles for seemingly lost causes like Lindsey Lohan, the Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump Holley LLP partner could prove a decisive factor for the defense, especially when it comes to questioning Mastersons accusers on the stand. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. The charges came after a three-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. She also said she was required to complete an ethics course because she had done something to deserve what [Masterson] did to me.. Opening statements were read Oct. 18. After a jury failed to reach a verdict last year regarding rape charges against Danny Masterson, the actors retrial began on Monday. The focus on Scientology during the preliminary hearing, which stretched over four days and included lengthy discussions of internal church texts and doctrine, wasnt lost on Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo.
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