RAPE RAP
That ‘70s Show star Danny Masterson charged with raping three women in his Hollywood home
THAT '70s Show star Danny Masterson has been charged with raping three women between 2001 and 2003, Los Angeles prosecutors say.
All of the alleged rapes took place at his Hollywood Hills home, and carry a maximum prison sentence of 45 years to life if Danny Masterson is convicted, said LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.
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It was the culmination of a three-year investigation that resulted in a rare arrest of a famous Hollywood figure in the #MeToo era.
The actor was taken into custody on Wednesday morning but posted bail and was released soon after, according to .
His attorney, Tom Mesereau, said his client was innocent, and “we’re confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify.”
Masterson, 44, who played Steven Hyde in the comedy show, is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman between January and December 2001, according to the complaint.
In April 2003, he allegedly raped a 28-year-old woman and sometime between October and December of the same year, he is accused of raping a second 23-year-old woman.
The DAs Office said in a statement that it had declined to file sexual assault charges against Masterson in two other cases because of insufficient evidence and because of the statute of limitations.
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In a statement, released via his criminal defense attorney Tom Mesereau, Danny denied all the charges.
“Mr Masterson is innocent, and we’re confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify," it read.
Masterson has been married to actor and model Bijou Phillips since 2011.
“Obviously, Mr Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year-old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out.
"The people who know Mr Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false," the attorney added.
Mesereau has previously represented Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby in their trials for sexual crimes.
The names of Masterson's alleged victims have not been identified in the criminal case.
The actor's arraignment hearing is scheduled for September 18.
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Masterson's film credits include the 2008 Jim Carrey comedy “Yes Man,” “The Bridge to Nowhere” in 2009, in which he starred with his future wife Phillips, and 2011’s “The Chicago 8,” in which he played 1960s antiwar activist Jerry Rubin.
The alleged rapes came at the height of his fame as he starred on the retro sitcom “That ’70s Show” alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace. The series ran on Fox TV from 1998 to 2006 and has had a long afterlife in reruns.
The 44-year-old was fired from Netflix show The Ranch in late 2017, eight months after the Los Angeles Police Department opened investigations into accusations by three women that he sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s.
The charges come after four women in 2019 filed a lawsuit against him and the Church of Scientology for stalking and harassment, according to the according to the women’s attorney, Brian Kent.
The women claim they were targeted in a "silence and intimidate" campaign by the Church after making rape allegations against the actor public.
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Danny, who is a well-known Scientologist, has denied the allegations several times - and the Church has called the ongoing lawsuit a "ludicrous publicity stunt."
The lawsuit claims that Masterson has worked as a field staff member for Scientology-related organizations, reports the .
One of the plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit, Chrissie Bixler, alleged that while dating Masterson, he assaulted her “on more than one occasion” in late 2001 or early 2002,
Bixler also said that one of the alleged assaults occurred while she was unconscious.
Masterson’s lawyers have vigorously denied the lawsuit’s allegations, calling them “false and defamatory".
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Andrew Brettler alleged in a February court filing: “This lawsuit is not about justice, as Mr. Masterson’s exes disingenuously claim.
“It is a shameful money grab; plain and simple.”
William Forman, an attorney for the Church of Scientology International, told The Times in 2019: “This baseless lawsuit will go nowhere, because the claims are ludicrous and a sham.
“It’s a dishonest and hallucinatory publicity stunt.”
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