Danny Masterson appeared before a Los Angeles courtroom this past Friday for the first time since he got out of the big house. In June, Danny was released from jail on bail due to rape charges from three women. E! was the first to report that the 44-year-old That 70s Show alum was accompanied by his attorney, Tom Mersereau, and the actor was also there with some of his fans.
Reportedly, Leah Remini, a vocal critic of the Church of Scientology – which Masterson is a part of – was also there for the hearing. Leah has touched on the purported involvement of the church in the rape case before.
Thus far, the That 70’s Show alum has been accused of raping three different women between 2001 and 2003. The women say he sexually assaulted them at his Hollywood Hills home approximately 17 and 19 years ago.
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Masterson’s attorney claimed the LA District Attorney, Jackie Lacey, felt the need to press charges against Danny due to media pressure. Jackie is coming up for re-election in the coming November.
Masterson will appear in court again on the 19th of October for the court’s decision on whether the charges will be dropped after Mesereau filed paperwork asking for the charges to be dismissed.
There’s also the civil suit against Masterson and the Church of Scientology in which they’ve claimed they were pressured and harassed not to come forward. Back in June, the authorities pressed rape charges against Masterson, however, it’s been reported that the Church of Scientology is intimately involved.
Page Six says all of the accusers were once members of the church, and they have accused the organization of trying to silence them through fear and intimidation tactics. Moreover, the church has been accused of trying to cover up the alleged crimes.
Chrissie Carnell Bixler, one of the women in the suit, dated Danny between 1996 and 2001. She claims the actor drugged and assaulted her at his home in the Hollywood Hills.
Obviously, the charges have had a deleterious effect on his career. When the allegations first came out, Danny lost his job working with Ashton Kutcher on the set of Netflix’s The Ranch.