Appellate Court Rejects Danny Masterson's Rape Conviction Appeal

Danny Masterson, the actor best known for his role on That '70s Show, has lost his bid to overturn his 2023 rape convictions. On Tuesday, a three-judge panel from the California Second District Court of Appeal issued a ruling that denied all of his arguments. The decision leaves his current prison sentence of 30 years to life intact.

The 89-page document details the legal team's specific claims and the court's reasons for rejecting them. The judges unanimously concluded that the trial court did not make any errors severe enough to require a new trial. Masterson is 50 years old and is currently serving time in state custody.

His original conviction stemmed from a retrial in 2023. In that trial, a jury found him guilty of two counts of rape involving two women in 2003. The first attempt at a trial in 2022 ended without a decision because the jury could not agree. A separate count related to a third accuser from 2001 also failed to reach a verdict in 2023.

During the appeal, Masterson's lawyers argued that the trial judge showed bias against the Church of Scientology. They claimed he was denied his First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion. The appellate panel disagreed, stating that the judge's comments showed no animus or lack of neutrality toward the church. The court noted that the jury never had to decide the truth of Scientology doctrine, so admitting related evidence did not violate the First Amendment.

At the time of the original trial, both accusers were members of the Church of Scientology. They testified that church officials told them they had not been raped and pushed them through ethics programs. They were also warned against going to law enforcement because of Masterson's high standing within the group.

The appeals court also dismissed arguments regarding the statute of limitations and how evidence was handled during the trial. The panel denied a separate habeas corpus petition that claimed Masterson did not receive an adequate defense. His appellate attorneys, Cliff Gardner and Eric Multhaup, told Variety that they plan to ask the California Supreme Court to review the case.

Representatives for Masterson did not respond to requests for comment from CBC News before the ruling was published.