Why That '70s Show star Danny Masterson is blaming his lawyer and scientology bias for rape trial conviction
Topics: Crime, US News, Film and TV
Liv Bridge
Featured Image Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for CMT
Topics: Crime, US News, Film and TV
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing
Danny Masterson is reportedly blaming anti-scientology bias, as well as his lawyer, in a petition to have his rape conviction overturned.
The 49-year-old actor, who shot to fame as Steven Hyde in the TV show That '70s Show, is currently in the midst of serving a hefty jail sentence for raping two women between 2001 and 2003.
While Masterson pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him in court, the initial jury was unable to reach an agreement on three counts of rape in December 2022, leading to a mistrial being declared and another retrial.
Advert
A jury of seven women and five men ultimately found him guilty of two counts, before a judge handed him a sentence of 30 years to life in prison in 2023.
Now, the disgraced star is claiming his defence attorney and the investigation by cops were biased against the Church of Scientology, leading to his conviction as per the motion filed this week.
The trial heard how Masterson met both victims through the Church, with the doctrine of the religion even highlighted as a potential issue during the trial.
Both women claimed they had been deterred from reporting him to police for years as per the rules of the church that, they say, prohibits its members from reporting criminal behaviour.
While the church denied the claims, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo, who oversaw the trial, did find Scientology enforced such a policy.
In the almost 200-page-long report, attorney Eric Multhaup accused defence attorney Phillip Cohen of making several errors across the trial, as well as what he claims is a heavily biased law enforcement against Masterson's faith.
“The unfairness of the second Masterson trial was the result of prosecutorial misconduct, judicial bias, and the failure of defense counsel to present exculpatory evidence,” he said in a statement.
“The habeas corpus petition is accompanied by 65 exhibits that document the evidence of innocence that could have been presented, but was not.
"The jury heard only half the story — the prosecution’s side. Danny deserves a new trial where the jury can hear his side as well.”
Among the accusations against Cohen include a request to delay the trial to accommodate his colleague, Shawn Holley, in the trial, who was also representing former Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer at the same time.
The request was denied, while Masterson also claims to have grown frustrated with his defence team.
In the habeas petition, Multhaup further claims Cohen failed to bring forward witnesses that would have supported evidence to Masterson's case, including alleged friends of the victims who claimed the sexual encounters were consensual, 'positive' and even 'enthusiastic.'
One friend apparently said the victim had confided it was 'the best sex she had ever had,' according to the filing.
The petition claims that out of 20 potential witnesses, Cohen only spoke with two.
Multhaup also accused the LAPD and the district attorney's office of anti-Scientology bias due to the involvement of actress Leah Remini, a former Scientologist who also aired victims' allegations in her documentary series about the church.
"She was welcomed into the prosecution fold as an adviser, strategist, authoritative arbiter on the policy and practices of the Church of Scientology, and advocate for the complaining witnesses,” the motion reads. “She was welcomed even though the LAPD knew that she had an ongoing vendetta against petitioner.”
The news comes as his ex-wife Bijou Phillips has also filed to remove Masterson from their daughter's name.
UNILAD has previously contacted the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office as well as Cohen for comment.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org