Appeals Court Upholds Danny Masterson's Rape Convictions and 30-Year Sentence

A California appeals court has upheld Danny Masterson's 2023 rape convictions, leaving in place his sentence of 30 years to life in prison. The ruling was issued on Tuesday.

In an 89-page decision viewed by CBC News, a three-judge panel of the California Second District Court of Appeal turned down every argument raised by the actor. The judges unanimously concluded that Masterson, 50, had not shown the trial court made errors serious enough to justify a new trial.

Masterson, best known for his role on That '70s Show, was convicted in 2023 on two counts of rape involving two women in 2003. That verdict came at a retrial, after his first trial in 2022 ended with a deadlocked jury. In the second trial, jurors also could not reach a verdict on a count involving a third woman, who alleges she was raped in 2001.

Masterson belongs to the Church of Scientology, and his accusers were members at the time of the alleged assaults. They said the church was the reason they hesitated to go to police. They testified that when they reported him to Scientology officials, they were told they had not been raped, were put through ethics programs and were warned against reporting a member of such high standing to law enforcement.

On appeal, his attorneys argued that he was denied his First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. They also said the trial judge made statements "lacking neutrality" and "with hostility" toward Scientology.

The panel disagreed. "Those statements, viewed in context, evidence no animus or departure from neutrality regarding Scientology," the ruling says. The court added that jurors were not asked to decide whether Scientology doctrine or beliefs were true or false, and that admitting evidence about Scientology did not violate the First Amendment.

The judges also rejected arguments about the statute of limitations and about evidentiary rulings. In addition, they denied a separate habeas corpus petition that argued Masterson did not receive an adequate defence.

CBC News contacted representatives for Masterson but had not received a response by the time of publication. In a statement to Variety, his appellate attorneys, Cliff Gardner and Eric Multhaup, said they plan to appeal to the California Supreme Court and to pursue a separate petition.