In 2017, as part of the Me Too movement and the larger outing of serial predators, several women came forward to tell their stories about Danny Masterson. Masterson was accused of raping four women under similar circumstances across several years. The women made statements to the LAPD and the police slow-rolled the investigation. At first, Masterson’s friends stood by him and Netflix even stood by him, keeping him employed for months after the LAPD opened the investigation. Finally, in 2020, Masterson was arrested and charged for multiple rapes. The first trial happened last fall, and it ended in mistrial. The retrial happened throughout May, and the jury deliberated for a week before they came back with the verdict on Wednesday: guilty of rape on two of the three counts.
The jury in Danny Masterson’s rape retrial today found the actor guilty on the majority of the three counts against him. After the verdicts were read out and the jury dismissed, Masterson was deemed a flight risk by Judge Charlaine Olemdo. With a dazed look on his face, the actor was cuffed and taken into custody despite the pleas of his lawyers. The next hearing on motions in the matter has been scheduled for August 4. A Sentencing hearing has not yet been set.
The actor is facing 30 years behind bars on the two counts he was found guilty of. Yet, similar to the first trial that ended late last year, the jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on sexual assault charges against Masterson.
Coming into court just before 1:50 p.m.. the jury informed the defendant, Judge Olemdo and others present that they found Masterson guilty of the “forceable rape” of two of the Jane Does, Jen B and N.T.
However, in what is still a stinging rebuke to the LA County District Attorney’s office, the jury foreperson acknowledged that after five votes, the panel was “hopelessly deadlocked” on the third count with a breakdown of eight guilty and four not guilty at last count. The last count involved Jane Doe #3 a.k.a Christina B, a former long term girlfriend of the defendant.
Looking at 15 to life on each charge he was found guilty of, Masterson sat expressionless as the verdicts were read out. However, seated just a few feet way, his wife Bijou Phillips could be heard crying in the courtroom. Other family and members of the actor’s legal team were openly crying also. After Masterson was taken away, family members like brother-in-law Billy Baldwin and friends stayed in the courtroom in an obvious state of shock.
“The last count involved Jane Doe #3 a.k.a Christina B, a former long term girlfriend of the defendant.” There are a lot of people out there who believe, at a fundamental level, that if two people are in a relationship, it’s not rape. I’ve read Christina’s story once and I never want to read it again – I believe her. I believe that Masterson hurt her and raped her while they were dating. But the jury couldn’t agree on it. Still, I’m glad that he was convicted of the other two counts. It was justice delayed, but still, some small justice for Masterson’s victims. I hope all of those women are doing okay this week.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
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- Los Angeles, CA – Jury deliberations resumed today in the rape trial of “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson, one day after jurors were ordered to begin anew with two alternates added, following news that two panelists had tested positive for COVID-19. Pictured: Danny Masterson, Bijou Phillips BACKGRID USA 29 NOVEMBER 2022 BYLINE MUST READ: no byline@backgrid.com / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Los Angeles, CA – Danny Masterson is seen arriving in court today with wife Bijou Phillips, as jury is believed to be issuing their verdict today in his rape retrial case. The jury has been deliberating for over a week in the rape retrial after the first ended in a mistrial in December, with a jury deadlocked on all counts. Pictured: Danny Masterson, Bijou Phillips BACKGRID USA 30 MAY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Hollywood, CA – **FILE PHOTO** Danny Masterson Found Guilty In Rape Trial. Pictured Here: Danny Masterson at the Olympus Has Fallen film premiere at The ArcLight Cinemas in Los Angeles, California. March 18, 2013. Pictured: Danny Masterson BACKGRID USA 31 MAY 2023 BYLINE MUST READ: MediaPunch / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
Great news! And hells yeah he’s a flight risk. scientology could have him whisked off to Hemet before you can say David Miscavige is a terrible person.
I was wondering just yesterday what was happening with this creature. We’ve had a very high profile case down here in Australia, with a famous ex-football star. I was talking to my Bestie about that case tonight because her daughter had hooked up with him, and she said more than once she wished something had come of it… but that was before all the dirty business came out about what he did to another young woman. (Look up Jarryd Hayne for the story. It’s an interesting story, just for the legal shenanigans.)
I can’t even look at Masterson‘s face. I wonder if his wife will stick by him. He will likely appeal, but if he is jailed, that’s a hell of a long time to wait for your man. What a grub. Let him rot.
Finally justice is served for this massive douche bag nutjob – guess Scientology couldn’t get him off. I hope that all 3 ladies are getting all the help and support they can – his equally nutjob wife will am sure be gunning for them.
This poor pampered snowflake won’t last a day in prison – he’s famous which means his ass will be a target.
Bijou doesn’t believe her pedo father statutory raped her half sister, Mackenzie. She has a LOOOOOOOOOOT of work to do on herself, and to protect her daughters from her toxic male, patriarchal, Scientological mindset.
I thought that Bijou did believe Mackenzie?? I admit not following them but I thought when Mackenzie first told Bijou she believed her. I cannot imagine what is going on with Bijou – I’m inclined to think that she herself has been victimized her entire life but the time is well overdue to get help and protect her kids.
I don’t think Bijou and Chynna speak with MacKenzie any longer. Its obvious that Chynna and her husband Billy Baldwin have taken Masterson’s side in this. They are vile people for supporting this rapist scum.
Bijou has gone back and forth with MacKenzie as she processed the revelation of incest. At one point she was angry with Mackenzie for not doing anything to ensure he didn’t initiate the same contact with her as she had lived with him alone growing up.
I used to follow Chynna on YouTube but she’s very devoutly Christian. She shared a lot including the fact that her mother Michelle hates MacKenzie and doesn’t believe her. That didn’t prevent the three sisters from becoming close again, Chynna always believed and worked on that/those relationships. What might have come between them if they’re no longer all in contact is that MacKenzie would NOT push allegations aside, she’s very therapied and prepared to face ugliness instead of being in denial.
Strength to his victims. It took long enough before they saw him in court.
I don’t like this point of view: “…his wife Bijou Phillips could be heard crying … Other family and members of the actor’s legal team were openly crying also… family members like brother-in-law Billy Baldwin and friends stayed in the courtroom in an obvious state of shock.”
There is no mention of the victims’ reactions, nor that of their friends and family. And instead of acknowledging how incredibly difficult it is to have someone get punished for rape, Deadline focused on a “rebuke” to the prosecution. I hope that DM spends a long time in jail.
Yeah, the way this report was written in Deadline was weirdly sympathetic to Masterson who is now a convicted rapist. Who cares about Billy Baldwin’s feelings? The whole article is better but still.
That may have been their intention. However, I haven’t been following the case closely. Didn’t realized he is married to Bijou and related to Billy Baldwin. Or that they are standing by him. Now I do.
Chynna posts all the time on YouTube. She loves Jesus more than anything so I’m sure she’s praying and asking for prayers, but I haven’t looked yet to see how directly she addresses it. She has been open in the past re other family issues so it might be worth a listen.
It’s awful his third victim wasn’t able to see him face justice for what he did to her. But I hope he gets the max sentence and she can find some comfort in the time he’s going away for. And that they have all had access to services to help them through this. It’s been a long time coming and likely a lot of reliving their trauma.
And it is utterly horrific that in today’s day and age there are people who think someone in a relationship has no agency to say no, or doesn’t deserve the respect of having their wishes observed. (Horrific but not surprising given how many people don’t seem to think women should have any bodily autonomy at all)
She and another of the women is suing him and the Church of Scientology civilly. I hope the bankrupt the tell out of the “Church” for the torture and intimidation they put them through.
@ Ceej, I know. The stereotype of women in relationships with their abusers and the allegations against them are never taken seriously, as if women can’t be raped by their partners. Women are still considered to be second class citizens affects the overall societal view for women. We see play out in everyday, no matter the circumstances.
@ TNO, I am so happy to hear this!! Scientology is an entirely form of evil that should have no part in today’s society. The mere fact that they can openly harass and intimidate people is unfathomable and yet the still continue with their machinations. Never held accountable and driven to fully fulfill their agenda whilst LAPD continues to protect them.
I hope that the victims may find some peace some day after this verdict. I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for them.
I also hope that this verdict reflects the reduced power of Scientology and its continued downfall.
I’m glad her was convicted. Leah Remini had been raising concerns that his lawyers were being supported by Scientology, which we know has connections to law enforcement and a history of harassment.
The defense attys asked that Leah Remini be removed from the courtroom. The utter, arrogant gall. Judge denied the request. Judge should have sanctioned the attys for a frivolous request and wasting the judge’s time.
I follow a growing up in Scientology Aaron on youtube and he said that it was crucial that Danny needed to be convicted of at least 2 of the 3 counts to serve prison time. If he had only been convicted of 1 count he would not serve prison time due to the age of the crime.
I had lost hope and thought they were going to deadlock again on all charges. But the jury was thoughtful and served justice. While Christine did not get full justice. Her testimony was crucial and helped put him away. As I understand it was 8 guilty 4 undecided on her count.
And Danny won’t be going to Club Fed this will be a real prison he will have to serve time in. I hope the Judge does give him 30 years.
I watch him too! He always has interesting takes on things.
@Bingo, I’m confused at your understanding of what went down. A verdict from the jury encompasses an agreement between jurors. It wouldn’t be 8 for and 4 against verdict. That would be called something else. Literally & figuratively. 12 juros decided Masterson was guilty of enough things
Glad to hear about the convictions but I hope he actually gets a sentence where he has to serve hard time. Too often judges seem sympathetic with these rich white male defendants and they just get a slap on the wrist. I wonder if his buddies like Ashton Kutcher will show up as character witnesses at sentencing.
I’m hopeful that will be the case, as the he’s now sitting in jail awaiting sentencing. I think that’s promising. I hope the women are successful in their civil suits. This guy is a monster.
Good.
My first thought too.
The judge denied his release while awaiting sentencing. He got cuffed and put in police custody immediately after the verdict yesterday. He will wake up in jail this morning and not be going anywhere before being sentenced to a substantial amount of prison time. I hope he finds it shocking.
He AND Elizabeth Holmes both literally ending up in the clink on the same day is very satisfying.
Glad, the arrogant pr— got convicted.
It’s about time. I hate how this article tried to make Danny the victim. Oh boohoo, his wife knowingly stayed married to and supported a rapist. His BIL supported a rapist and begs the question, if Billy should also be looked at. Danny thought he wouldn’t be convicted and definitely didn’t think he’d go straight to jail.
Great News! A little off topic, who knows the photographer Terry Richardson? I keep waiting for his comeuppance, he did deplorable things to young aspiring models, how has he managed to not get charged!?
I thought Terry and his wife/ assistant would get charged during the me too movement.
As for managed to not get charged. Every time one of Terry’s victims would speak up his celebrity friends would do a big photo shoot with him and talk about how amazing he is in interviews to deflect complete the attention away from his victims. I.E Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Jennifer, Aniston, Gwyneth, Paltrow, and more.
At the very least, he’s been unemployed (at least as a photographer) for the last 5 years. Which is a sadly minor consequence, but still one that many other abusers haven’t faced.
Good. Hopefully we never have to see his face again.
His victims are survivors, and they were very brave to fight for justice. Even the one who got denied, I hope she can take some comfort in him going to jail.
Good riddance! So happy about this. But yea, Deadline has been misogynistic ever since Nikki Finke (RIP) sold it.
I’m not American, so would love some clarity on this – is the jury expected to look at each case/charge entirely independently? Like, if they’re discussing it and go “okay case A – yup we’re 100% he is guilty” can that not inform cases B and C? Because does it not seem if he did it ONCE it stands to reason that he did it other times? It’s just a bit confusing as to why they wouldn’t agree on the third if they all agreed on the other two – irregardless of the relationship he had with the victim.
Yes the jury has to look at each separate charge independently to determine guilt or innocence. In the American system, one is assumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If the defense was able to provide some reasonable doubt due to the past relationship between the two then it is likely that guilt will not be found .
It’s also reasonable to think that there may have been a lack of proof when it came to the third due to the relationship that existed. Doesn’t mean he wasn’t guilty of it, just means that there is enough room for doubt.
He didn’t get found innocent- he was found not guilty.
I hope that makes sense.
It’s correct they look at everything individually. What I’ve heard from trial lawyers is that sometimes, in cases where the entire jury agrees on a couple of the counts and a couple of the victims, one person will express some doubts on one of the charges. In those cases, the jury often figures that since the person will be punished anyway, there’s not much point in spending additional time arguing about the last charge and come back not guilty on that one.
A similar thing happened with E. Jean Carroll’s jury. They found in favor of her on sexual battery and defamation, but they found Trump not liable on the rape charge. And this is a case where it’s the same victim who presumably has the same level of credibility when describing a rape as a sexual battery.
No, it doesn’t make a ton of sense. Juries don’t always.
Thank God this man was convicted. God only knows how many more victims he has who were too terrified to come forward due to Scientology
Exactly this. There is certainly more.
@ Watson, such a powerful and profound statement that is fully truthful.
There are definitely more victims. The prosecution was able to show he had a well established pattern of drugging his victims before assaulting them–he didn’t develop that overnight. I was so relieved it wasn’t another mistrial.
Handcuffed and right off to a jail cell. Good.
Took look long enough but finally this rapist will be in prison.
I bet he was shocked! Rapist figured his fame, money, connections would get him out of trouble.
20 years each charge in a hard prison. Glad to hear it.
I can’t believe they convicted him, I was so sure he’d get off with the scientology cult’s help. And taken into custody immediately! I wish he’d gone down on all three counts but I hope this helps the women find a measure of closure and peace. They deserve it after all this time and all the BS they were put through.
As a petty aside, I wonder what Ashton Kutcher has to say about it all now. Is he still worried about Dan’s kid reading about everything? Ashton said he wanted Dan to found innocent, which obviously didn’t happen, so is he going to be visiting his good buddy in the clink or drop him like a hot PR potato?
It was has been talked about a lot for many years that there is a Scientology document that has about 50 names on it of people vouching for Masterson and his character. I want to see the list. I want to know all those willing to put their signature down for this serial rapist. Maybe it will come out in the civil suit, but there are many people in Hollywood who knew exactly what Masterson was doing and were either turning a blind eye or willingly covering up for him or just happy to let him rape multiple women. Top of that list are Ashton Kutcher and Michael Peña, but I want more names. Name all of these co-conspirators.
I will never understand the people who vouch for an accused person’s character in cases like this.
Simultaneously, I hope I never have to know what it feels like to have a close friend be accused of something like this and have to WONDER if it is true or not. That sounds like I am questioning the accusers, and I am not. At all. More like, if a woman came out today and accused my male bestie of raping her 20 years ago, and he said he didn’t. I can’t imagine what I would think. I do have a male bestie and I’ve known him for 30+ years. There has never been a single thing that I have ever witnessed or heard of that would make me think that was something he was capable of. I am not sure what I’d even think? But I don’t know that I would sign a paper that says “he’s great” because just because I have only ever known him to be decent and good doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have done something terrible once. I feel like character witnesses are such a bizarre thing, because in the case of Ashton, it’s like “well sure, he has never drugged and raped YOU. You are his powerful, male, close friend… you don’t fit his MO.” (It’s like when a person gets abused by a partner, and they interview old partners who say “they never hurt me”. AND? Ted Bundy had a girlfriend that he didn’t abuse or murder WHILE he was an active serial killer)
Every time I see his face I think about how he DJed as DJDonkeyPunch. Talk about telegraphing your violent tendencies.
The crimes that this pos did, I hope he gets the full 30 years. And Bijou is a known mean girl, there’s stories out if you want to google, she cut a guy’s finger off at a club once. So it’s not surprising these two are together.
I wonder if it was Jane Doe 3 that Lisa Marie Presley was expected to provide supporting testimony for?
Timing of LMP death really bothered me.
Kaiser thank you for always supporting survivors, and thank you so much for always writing out that you believe the survivor. As a survivor myself, it means so much. Thank you!
Finally. Significant jail time next.