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Tag: Danny Masterson guilty

  • Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis asked for leniency for Danny Masterson in letters to judge – National | Globalnews.ca

    Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis asked for leniency for Danny Masterson in letters to judge – National | Globalnews.ca

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    The letters of support written for Danny Masterson by former co-stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have been shared with the public, in which the couple vouched for Masterson’s “exceptional character” and pleaded for the judge’s leniency.

    Kunis and Kutcher, once main characters on That ’70s Show alongside Masterson and now married, wrote the letters ahead of this week’s sentencing by Judge Charlaine Olmeda.

    Olmeda ruled this week that Masterson will serve 30 years to life in prison for two counts of forcible rape.


    Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis wrote letters of support, asking for the judge’s leniency in Danny Masterson’s sentencing.

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    During a retrial in May, Masterson, 47, was found guilty on two out of three counts of rape that occurred between 2001 and 2003. Jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on the third count, which alleged Masterson had raped a longtime girlfriend.

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    The letters written by Kutcher and Kunis were published by Los Angeles-based court reporter Meghann Cuniff, as well as by longtime Church of Scientology critic Tony Ortega.

    In Kutcher’s letter, he wrote: “(Masterson) set an extraordinary standard around how you treat other people. There was an incident where we were at a pizza parlor and a belligerent man entered who is berating his girlfriend. We had never met or seen these people before, but Danny was the first person to jump to the defense of this girl. It was an incident he didn’t have to get involved in but proactively chose to because the way this man was behaving was not right.

    “He has always treated people with decency, equality, and generosity.”

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    Kutcher continued: “While I’m aware that the judgement has been cast as guilty on two counts of rape by force and the victims have a great desire for justice, I hope that my testament to his character is taken into consideration in sentencing.

    “I do not believe he is an ongoing harm to society and having his daughter raised without a present father would a tertiary injustice in and of itself. Thank you for taking the time to read this.”

    Kunis’ letter, meanwhile, contained many similar words of praise and called Masterson “an amazing friend, confidant, and, above all, an outstanding older brother figure to me.”


    Topher Grace, Danny Masterson, Mila Kunis, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama and Ashton Kutcher of “That 70’s Show.”

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    “Danny has consistently displayed a profound sense of responsibility and care for those around him. He demonstrates grace and empathy in every situation, be it within the entertainment industry or in our personal lives. His steady support and understanding presence make him a reliable source of guidance and comfort for all of us,” she wrote, before concluding with: “I wholeheartedly vouch for Danny Masterson’s exceptional character and the tremendous positive influence he has had on me and the people around him. His dedication to leading a drug-free life and the genuine care he extends to others make him an outstanding role model and friend.”

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    Ortega also shared the letter of support written by Masterson’s wife, Bijou Phillips, who asked for the judge’s leniency for their daughter’s sake.

    “We need him more than you can imagine,” Phillips wrote. “I know he has been convicted of serious crimes. But the man I married has only been an extraordinary husband to me and a devoted father to our daughter.”

    According to reports, more than 50 people wrote statements of support to Judge Olmeda, including That ’70s Show co-stars Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith.

    Masterson pleaded not guilty to the charges of rape against him. The retrial was called after last year’s original trial on the same three counts ended in a mistrial when a jury deadlocked, failing to reach unanimous verdicts.

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5tCXZsV6Ok

     

    During the second trial this year, deputy district attorney Reinhold Mueller and his team tried to paint Masterson as a serial rapist who has been protected by high-ranking officials in the Church of Scientology. They claimed Masterson, on separate occasions, put drugs into the drinks of a longtime girlfriend and two other women he knew through the church before he raped them.

    Masterson did not face any drug-related charges. However, two of his lawyers faced financial sanctions after they leaked sensitive trial information about Masterson’s accusers to the Church of Scientology.

    “Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here. Your actions 20 years ago took away another person’s choice and voice. Your actions 20 years ago today were criminal, and that’s why you are here,” Judge Olmedo said while handing down Masterson’s sentence.

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    Click to play video: 'Danny Masterson found guilty of 2 counts of rape in 2nd trial'


    Danny Masterson found guilty of 2 counts of rape in 2nd trial




    — With files from Global News’ Sarah Do Couto

    &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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    Michelle Butterfield

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  • Danny Masterson found guilty of 2 counts of rape in 2nd trial – National | Globalnews.ca

    Danny Masterson found guilty of 2 counts of rape in 2nd trial – National | Globalnews.ca

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    The Los Angeles jury for the rape retrial of actor Danny Masterson delivered guilty verdicts for two out of three rape counts against the That ’70s Show star Wednesday.

    The convictions came after nearly two weeks of deliberation. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on the third count, which alleged Masterson raped a longtime girlfriend. They had voted 8-4 in favour of conviction.

    Masterson, 47, who pleaded not guilty to all charges of rape against him, was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. He now faces up to 30 years in prison.

    No sentencing date has yet been set, but the judge told Masterson and his lawyers to return to court Aug. 4 for a hearing. Masterson will be held without bail until he is sentenced.


    Click to play video: 'Mistrial declared in Danny Masterson rape trial, jury ‘hopelessly deadlocked’'


    Mistrial declared in Danny Masterson rape trial, jury ‘hopelessly deadlocked’


    His wife, actor and model Bijou Phillips, wept as he was led away. Other family and friends sat stone-faced.

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    “I am experiencing a complex array of emotions — relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness — knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior,” one of the women, whom Masterson was convicted of raping at his home in 2003, said in a statement.

    The woman whose count left the jury deadlocked said in the statement: “While I’m encouraged that Danny Masterson will face some criminal punishment, I am devastated that he has dodged criminal accountability for his heinous conduct against me.”

    The convictions come after last year’s original trial on the same three counts ended in a mistrial when a jury deadlocked, failing to reach unanimous verdicts. Prosecutors quickly moved to hold a retrial.


    Click to play video: 'Actor Danny Masterson must stand trial on 3 rape charges'


    Actor Danny Masterson must stand trial on 3 rape charges


    During the second trial this year, deputy district attorney Reinhold Mueller and his team tried to paint Masterson as a serial rapist who has been protected by high-ranking officials in the Church of Scientology. (Masterson and his family are all members of the church.) They claimed Masterson, on separate occasions, put drugs into the drinks of a longtime girlfriend and two other women he knew through the church before he raped them.

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    Direct discussion of drugging was missing from last year’s original trial, 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. Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo allowed the direct assertion at the retrial.

    Masterson did not face any drug-related charges.

    Lawyers 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.

    Actor Leah Remini, a former Scientologist, said she has been visiting the Los Angeles courtroom throughout the trial. The retrial has garnered ample attention from the public in part because of Remini’s outspoken commentary.

    On May 11, she shared news of an alleged discovery material leak to Twitter and wrote that the church had “no reason at all” to possess the information.

    “Scientology, which SHOULD be a co-defendant in this trial, has repeatedly lied, saying it has no covert involvement in this trial,” Remini, 52, accused in a long thread.

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    Remini, who left the Church of Scientology in 2013, said the apparent leak was proof the church was “colluding” with Masterson and his lawyers.

    “There is nothing Scientology and Scientologists won’t do to infiltrate government offices, organizations, and institutions,” she wrote. “There’s nothing Scientology won’t do to obtain the intel it needs to protect itself. It has literally been Scientology policy for seven decades.”

    Masterson did not testify, and his lawyers called no witnesses. The defense argued that the acts were consensual, and attempted to discredit the women’s stories by highlighting changes and inconsistencies over time, which they said showed signs of coordination between them.

    “If you decide that a witness deliberately lied about something in this case,” defense attorney Philip Cohen told jurors, going through their instructions in his closing argument, “You should consider not believing anything that witness says.”

    Testimony in this case was graphic and emotional.

    Two women, who knew Masterson from social circles in the church, said he gave them drinks and that they then became woozy or passed out before he violently raped them in 2003.

    The third, Masterson’s then-girlfriend of five years, said she awoke to find him raping her, and had to pull his hair to stop him.

    The issue of drugging also played a major role in the retrial. At the first, Olmedo only allowed prosecutors and accusers to describe their disorientation, and to imply that they were drugged. The second time, they were allowed to argue it directly, and the prosecution attempted to make it a major factor, to no avail.

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    “The defendant drugs his victims to gain control,” Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson said in her closing argument. “He does this to take away his victims’ ability to consent.”

    —

    If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.

    — with files from The Associated Press

    &copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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    Sean Boynton

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  • Danny Masterson’s rape retrial winding down amid alleged Church of Scientology leak – National | Globalnews.ca

    Danny Masterson’s rape retrial winding down amid alleged Church of Scientology leak – National | Globalnews.ca

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    Closing arguments are expected to begin Tuesday at the second trial of That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson, who is charged with raping three women at his Los Angeles home between 2001 and 2003.

    Lawyers for both sides rested their cases Friday, three weeks into the trial. Masterson’s defence lawyer declined to call any witnesses.

    The 47-year-old’s first trial ended in a mistrial in December, with jurors hopelessly deadlocked on all three counts.


    Click to play video: 'Mistrial declared in Danny Masterson rape trial, jury ‘hopelessly deadlocked’'


    Mistrial declared in Danny Masterson rape trial, jury ‘hopelessly deadlocked’


    The actor has pleaded not guilty. He could get 45 years in prison if convicted on all three counts.

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    Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo has allowed the prosecution to directly say that Masterson drugged each of the victims. Olmedo only allowed secondary evidence of it at the first trial.

    The Church of Scientology has played an even larger role in the second trial than it did in the first; Masterson is a member of the church, and all three women in the trial are former members, but the church itself is not a defendant in the trial.

    The judge allowed a former member of the church’s leadership to testify as an expert on the institution’s policies about going to police. The plaintiffs claimed church officials kept them from going to authorities with their accusations about Masterson. The church has denied having any policies forbidding members from reporting other members to law enforcement.

    Last week, a courtroom controversy broke out during the trial over an unaffiliated Scientology lawyer apparently having possession of trial evidence. Deputy DA Reinhold Mueller told the court that he received an email on May 2 from a lawyer belonging to the church, Vicki Podberesky, that contained 12 files of discovery material from the ongoing trial. The email criticized the retrial, though the discovery material attached was intended only to be seen by the prosecution, defence lawyers and the court. It is unclear where the alleged leak came from.

    Actor Leah Remini, a former Scientologist, said she has been visiting the Los Angeles courtroom throughout the trial. The retrial has garnered ample attention from the public in part because of Remini’s outspoken commentary.

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    She shared news of the alleged discovery material leak to Twitter on Thursday and wrote that the church had “no reason at all” to possess the information.

    “Scientology, which SHOULD be a co-defendant in this trial, has repeatedly lied, saying it has no covert involvement in this trial,” Remini, 52, accused in a long thread.

    Remini, who left the Church of Scientology in 2013, said the apparent leak is proof the church is “colluding” with Masterson and his lawyers.

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    “There is nothing Scientology and Scientologists won’t do to infiltrate government offices, organizations, and institutions,” she wrote. “There’s nothing Scientology won’t do to obtain the intel it needs to protect itself. It has literally been Scientology policy for seven decades.”

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    Earlier, Remini also claimed the church attempted to have her removed from the courtroom when the trial began three weeks ago.

    Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller will be first to give a closing argument in the downtown Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday morning. He will try to convince the jury to unanimously convict Masterson after failing to get even half of the jurors at the first trial to vote guilty on any count.

    — With files from Global News’ Sarah Do Couto 

    &copy 2023 The Canadian Press

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  • Danny Masterson to be retried on rape charges months after mistrial declared – National | Globalnews.ca

    Danny Masterson to be retried on rape charges months after mistrial declared – National | Globalnews.ca

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    Los Angeles prosecutors will retry “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson on three rape counts after a hopelessly deadlocked jury led to a mistrial in his first trial in November.

    The LA County District Attorney’s Office declared prosecutors’ plans in court filings and at a Tuesday hearing, where Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo rejected a defense motion to dismiss the charges.

    The move comes despite prosecutors failing to get even half of the previous jury to vote to convict on any of the counts against Masterson, who is charged with the rape of three women, including a former girlfriend, at his home between 2001 and 2003.

    “We are pleased that Danny Masterson will not be permitted to simply escape criminal accountability,” two of the three women and the husband of one said in a joint statement released through their attorneys. “Despite suffering years of intimidation and harassment, we are completely committed to participating in the next criminal trial.”

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    Mistrial declared in Danny Masterson rape trial after jury ‘hopelessly deadlocked’

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    The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused.

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    The judge tentatively set the retrial to begin in late March.

    The 46-year-old Masterson had no comment to reporters outside court after Tuesday’s hearing, and his attorney did not respond to an email requesting comment.

    He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer has said the acts were all consensual.


    Click to play video: 'Actor Danny Masterson must stand trial on 3 rape charges'


    Actor Danny Masterson must stand trial on 3 rape charges


    The Church of Scientology played a major role during the month-long trial, with Masterson a member and all three women former members. Prosecutors said the church dissuaded them from going public for years, which the church has denied.

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    The charges date to a period when Masterson was at the height of his fame, starring from 1998 until 2006 as Steven Hyde on Fox’s “That ’70s Show.” The show made stars of Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace and is getting an upcoming Netflix reboot with “That ’90s Show.”

    &copy 2023 The Canadian Press

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  • Mistrial declared in Danny Masterson rape trial after jury ‘hopelessly deadlocked’ – National | Globalnews.ca

    Mistrial declared in Danny Masterson rape trial after jury ‘hopelessly deadlocked’ – National | Globalnews.ca

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    A mistrial was declared Wednesday after jurors deliberating charges of sexual assault against actor Danny Masterson were unable to reach a verdict.

    The jury was “hopelessly deadlocked,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo declared after inquiring whether there was anything the court could do to move them closer to reaching a unanimous decision.

    Jurors said they had voted seven times Tuesday and Wednesday without being able to reach consensus on any of the three counts.

    The jury foreman said only two jurors voted for conviction on the first count, four voted for conviction on the second count and five voted to convict on the third count.

    The star of the ’90s sitcom That ’70s Show has been on trial since mid-October for the alleged rapes of three women at this Hollywood Hills home in 2001 and 2003.

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    Leah Remini accuses Scientology of ‘covering up’ Danny Masterson’s alleged rapes

    Masterson, now 46, was one of the stars of the hit sitcom at the time, and pleaded not guilty to the three counts of rape.

    On Nov. 28, Olmedo replaced two original jurors with alternates and told the panel to start over with deliberations, after the two jurors came down with COVID-19.

    The jurors were returning from a week off after telling Olmedo on Nov. 18 that they were deadlocked and could not reach a verdict on any of the three rape counts against Masterson after nearly three days of deliberations.

    The judge told them it was too soon to declare a mistrial and to keep deliberating when they returned from the holiday break.

    Wednesday’s result was a serious setback for prosecutors, and for the three women who said they were seeking long overdue justice.

    All three accusers and Masterson were members of the Church of Scientology at the time the allegations occurred, and while all three accusers have since left the church, Masterson remains a member.

    Despite pre-trial instructions from Olmedo that the church should not become a de facto defendant in the trial, talk of Scientology loomed large in the Los Angeles courtroom.

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    FILE – Actor Danny Masterson appears at his arraignment in Los Angeles Superior Court in Los Angeles on Sept. 18, 2020.

    Lucy Nicholson / The Associated Press

    During closing arguments, defence lawyer Phillip Cohen said the allegations were so riddled with contradictions and inconsistencies that prosecutors implicated the Church of Scientology to help patch holes in its case.

    “When there are contradictions and inconsistencies — blame it on others,” Cohen said. “We heard Scientology so often that it really became the go-to excuse.”

    “There are no charges against Scientology but you can’t avoid it,” Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller said in his rebuttal argument.

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    Mueller said the women were late in reporting the alleged rapes because Scientology rules prevented them from going to law enforcement and if they spoke outside the church about what happened, they would be ostracized.

    The women, Mueller said, were afraid to testify because they had been subjected to harassment, intimidation and stalking at the hands of the church after they reported the crimes.

    If the statements by the women were all consistent then it would have indicated they were scripted, Mueller said. He said inconsistencies often arise when victims of sexual assault have to relive their ordeals when speaking to police for the first time.

    “They’re having to reach inside themselves and pull out that pain and trauma that they’ve had buried inside themselves,” Mueller said. “You may find some inconsistencies there.”

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    Testimony by the women — all referred to as Jane Does 1-3 — was graphic and emotional. One woman said she had vomited and passed out after Masterson gave her a mixed drink. She said she returned to consciousness to find him having rough and painful sex with her.

    A former girlfriend of Masterson said she woke up to find him having sex with her when she hadn’t consented.

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    Masterson chose not to testify and his lawyer, instead of providing defence evidence, instead focused on how the women’s stories had changed over time, arguing that the acts were consensual.


    Danny Masterson outside of court in Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.

    TNS via ZUMA Wire/AP Photo

    “The key to this case is not when they reported it,” Cohen said. “It’s what they said when they reported it. What they said after they reported it. And what they said at trial.”

    He said prosecutors’ depiction of Masterson as a “commanding scary, abusive monster” was undermined by testimony by his former girlfriend who said she willingly had sex with him after the alleged rapes.

    “I get the theme: Paint Danny as a monster. But when you look at the actual testimony it tells us something different,” Cohen said. “This is the problem when you start veering from the truth.”

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    Mueller told the jury to stick to the evidence and not to be swayed by the defence.

    He mocked a statement Cohen made when he told jurors they could acquit Masterson if they thought he “actually and reasonably believed” the women consented to having sex.

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    Mueller said nobody would believe the acts described were consensual. He reminded them that one woman repeatedly told Masterson “no,” pulled his hair and tried to get out from under him.

    Another woman said Masterson helped her throw up by putting his finger down her throat, then told her she was disgusting and made her shower because she had vomit it in her hair, Mueller said.

    “Then he puts her in bed, flips her over and has his way with her,” Mueller said. “There’s not a reasonable belief (she) consented. Absolutely not.”

    The charges date to a period when Masterson was at the height of his fame, starring from 1998 until 2006 as Steven Hyde on Fox’s “That ’70s Show.” The show made stars of Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace and is getting an upcoming Netflix reboot with “That ’90s Show.”

    Masterson had reunited with Kutcher on the Netflix comedy “The Ranch” but was written off the show when an LAPD investigation was revealed in December 2017.

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    — With files from The Associated Press

    &copy 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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    Michelle Butterfield

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  • Danny Masterson trial: Woman testifies Masterson raped, choked her in 2003 – National | Globalnews.ca

    Danny Masterson trial: Woman testifies Masterson raped, choked her in 2003 – National | Globalnews.ca

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    A woman broke down on the witness stand Wednesday while giving graphic testimony about a 2003 night when she said she emerged from unconsciousness to find actor Danny Masterson raping her.

    She is the first of three women who say Masterson raped them to testify during his Los Angeles trial. She said at one point she grabbed Masterson’s hair to try to pull him away, but he shoved a pillow into her face.

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    “I was smothered,” she said, crying. “I could not breathe.”

    She said she later grabbed his throat to try to push him away, but he held her down and began choking her.

    Asked by the prosecutor what she was thinking at the time, she replied: “That he was going to kill me. That I was going to die.”

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    By this point she was weeping. After she said, “I can’t do this,” the judge called for a brief break and a court victims’ services advocate comforted her at the witness stand.

    When she took the stand again, she testified that Masterson pulled a gun from a drawer in his bedside table and ordered her to be quiet when there was a commotion — and voices — at the door.


    Click to play video: 'Actor Danny Masterson must stand trial on 3 rape charges'


    Actor Danny Masterson must stand trial on 3 rape charges


    She said that, throughout the night, she passed in and out of consciousness despite drinking only about half of a fruity vodka drink Masterson had handed her.

    Masterson, 46, who at the time was a star of the Fox TV sitcom That ’70s show, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of rape.

    In brief cross-examination before the trial ended for the day, questions from Masterson’s attorney Phillip Cohen suggested that he would challenge her over differences in the story she told police in 2004, which did not lead to charges for Masterson, and her testimony Wednesday.

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    She conceded that she omitted elements of the story at the time, “to protect people.”

    At a preliminary hearing last year, a previous defence lawyer for Masterson emphasized that there was no mention of a gun in the LAPD report from 2004 and contended the three women had each reframed consensual sex as rape.

    The Associated Press does not name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly.

    Masterson, sitting at the defense table in a suit, looked toward the woman as she testified, but had no visible reaction. His wife, actor and model Bijou Phillips, sat behind him at the front of the gallery, along with several of his family members and friends.

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    The woman, then 27, was the best friend of Masterson’s assistant and part of the same social circle of Church of Scientology members.

    She testified that she had only intended to go to Masterson’s house to pick up a set of keys, and that her relationship had been uneasy with Masterson since the two had sex several months earlier, an incident she told police was consensual in 2004 but later decided she hadn’t consented to. She went back to police in 2016.

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    In his cross-examination, Cohen asked whether it was her position in 2004 that Masterson had raped her the first time they had sex, and she answered “no.” Asked whether that was her position now, she also answered “no.” Court adjourned before he could press her further.

    All three of Masterson’s accusers were members of the Church of Scientology at the time they say they were raped but have since left. Masterson remains a member. Judge Charlaine Olmedo said before the trial that she would not allow Scientology to become a de facto defendant but would allow limited discussion of it.

    Before the woman took the stand Wednesday after beginning her testimony Tuesday, the judge warned her not to stray too far into discussions of the religion, an issue she had already admonished Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller about.

    Scientology still came up. The woman testified that some of her mutual friends filed so-called “knowledge reports” signaling their unhappiness with her after she told them about the initial incident with Masterson, and she was summoned by an ethics officer who forced her to make peace with him and take responsibility.

    “You can never be a victim,” the woman said. “No matter what happens, you’re always responsible.”

    Asked if she still feared retaliation from anyone for coming forward about Masterson, she replied “about half this courtroom.”

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    She testified that she signed a non-disclosure agreement with Masterson in 2004, and accepted $400,000 over the course of a year, because the church was going to tar her as a “suppressive person” otherwise. She said she had violated the agreement “about 50 times” since signing it.

    She testified that she had only expected to be at Masterson’s house, a social hub for their friend circle, for a few minutes.

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    Masterson’s is one of several trials with #MeToo themes going on simultaneously on from coast to coast. They include Harvey Weinstein’s second rape and sexual assault trial just down the hall, and civil trials in New York for actor Kevin Spacey and for screenwriter and director Paul Haggis, who are both being sued for sexual assault.

    Scientology also has a major role in the trial of Haggis, a church dissident who is being allowed to argue that the institution is behind the allegations against him.

    &copy 2022 The Canadian Press

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