Danny Masterson alleges anti-Scientology bias in bid to overturn rape conviction
That ‘70s Show actor Masterson, jailed in 2023, claims a police investigation was biased against his faith and led to a wrongful conviction
Former US television actor Danny Masterson claims a mix of failures by his defence lawyer and a police investigation that was biased against Scientology led to his conviction on two counts of rape, according to a lengthy motion filed on Monday.
Masterson, 49, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in September 2023 after a jury found he sexually assaulted two women in the early 2000s, while at the height of his fame starring as the mercurial Steven Hyde in the sitcom That ‘70s Show.
Masterson met both of the victims through the Church of Scientology at the time and church doctrine was repeatedly made an issue at trial, with the victims claiming they were discouraged from reporting the actor to the police for years.
Masterson was first charged with three counts of rape in 2020 but a jury deadlocked at his initial trial in 2022. Jurors were unable to reach a verdict again on a third rape count involving Masterson’s long-time girlfriend when handing down a conviction on the other two counts in 2023.
In a 183-page filing made public on Monday, lawyer Eric Multhaup claimed a mix of errors by defence lawyer Phillip Cohen and what he described as a police investigation heavily biased against Masterson’s faith led to a wrongful conviction.