Danny Masterson Goes on Trial for Rape as Scientology Looms in the Background
variety.comGene Maddaus Senior Media Writer At a pre-trial hearing in the Danny Masterson rape case last week, Judge Charlaine Olmedo laid down a basic ground rule. “This is not going to become a trial on Scientology,” she said.
But the role of the church will nevertheless be a key theme in the trial, which begins with jury selection on Tuesday. Masterson, the 46-year-old former star of “That ’70s Show,” is facing three charges of forcible rape and a possible sentence of 45 years to life.
Masterson is a Scientologist, and all three of his accusers were members of the church at the time of the alleged assaults. Olmedo has indicated that she will allow some testimony about Scientology and its practices, especially to the extent that it helps explain why the accusers delayed going to the police — for two of them, by more than a decade.
At a preliminary hearing in May 2021, all three said they feared violating the church’s rules and being cut off from their faith community. “If you have a legal situation, you may not handle it externally from the church,” testified one of the accusers, who is referenced as N.
Read more on variety.com