Danny Masterson Rape Charges: Sentence, Appeal, and Civil Suit

Danny Masterson, the actor best known for playing Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show, was convicted in May 2023 of two counts of forcible rape and sentenced that September to 30 years to life in California state prison. The Danny Masterson rape case involved three women who said he drugged and assaulted them at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003, and it drew unusual attention because all three accusers and Masterson were practicing Scientologists at the time. His conviction is now under appeal, and a separate habeas corpus petition filed in November 2025 asks the courts to throw out the verdict on grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel.

The Allegations

The three accusers were all members of the Church of Scientology when the alleged assaults occurred. One was Masterson’s longtime girlfriend, another an acquaintance, and the third a close friend of his personal assistant.¹ Each incident allegedly took place on a separate occasion between 2001 and 2003 at Masterson’s Hollywood Hills home.²

The women testified that Masterson drugged them before the assaults. One described losing consciousness after drinking half of an alcoholic drink he handed her, then said he raped her, smothered her with a pillow, and took a gun from a bedside table during the attack.¹

Police looked at an allegation against Masterson as early as June 2004, but the District Attorney at the time declined to press charges, citing insufficient evidence.³ The LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division confirmed in March 2017 that it had reopened the investigation.⁴ Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller said the case moved forward when additional victims came forward.

Why Scientology Was Central to the Case

The Church of Scientology shaped both the evidence and the public story around the trial. Two of the women testified that when they reported the rapes to church officials, they were rebuffed.⁵ Jane Doe 3 testified that a Scientology ethics officer at the Celebrity Centre International told her not to use the word “rape” and suggested she had “done something to cause it,” saying, “We’re all responsible for the condition we’re in.”⁶

Another accuser testified that she signed a non-disclosure agreement in 2004 and accepted $400,000, saying she was pressured by the church’s influence and feared being labeled a “suppressive person.”¹ At sentencing, Jane Doe 2 called the church Masterson’s “enabler and protector” and said she had been afraid to report the crime because of what she described as the church’s “strict policies against reporting members to law enforcement.” Jane Doe 1 said her mother, still a Scientologist, shunned her after she went to police.⁷

Prosecutors argued that Masterson’s celebrity status inside the church made him “untouchable” and that members were taught that “rape isn’t rape,” that they were responsible for what happened to them, and that they were forbidden from contacting law enforcement.⁸ The church denied it. Spokeswoman Karin Pouw said the church has “no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct” and that its policy “explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land.”⁶

Charges, Mistrial, and Retrial

Following a three-year LAPD investigation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Masterson on June 17, 2020, with three counts of rape by force or fear.² Masterson pleaded not guilty on January 20, 2021.⁹

The first trial opened on October 19, 2022, before Judge Charlaine Olmedo. The defense called no witnesses and did not put Masterson on the stand, relying instead on cross-examination to attack the accusers’ credibility.¹⁰ On November 30, 2022, Judge Olmedo declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked on all three counts, with the votes leaning toward acquittal.¹¹

The retrial was a different courtroom. Judge Olmedo let prosecutors and accusers explicitly say Masterson had drugged the women, where in the first trial they had been limited to describing symptoms.¹² She also permitted Claire Headley, a former Scientology official, to testify as an expert about the church’s internal policies on reporting crimes, testimony that had been excluded the first time.⁸ Headley testified that Scientologists were not permitted to report crimes committed by other members to police and were not allowed to use the word “rape” in communications with church staff.¹³

Defense attorney Philip Cohen again declined to call witnesses, relying on cross-examination and questioning why Scientology figured so prominently in the prosecution’s case.⁸ After seven days of deliberation spread over two weeks, the jury returned its verdict on May 31, 2023, finding Masterson guilty on two counts of rape. On the third count, brought by his longtime girlfriend, the jury deadlocked 8-4 in favor of conviction.¹⁴ Prosecutors did not retry that charge, and it was dismissed.¹⁵

The Sentence

On September 7, 2023, Judge Olmedo sentenced Masterson to 30 years to life, ordering two 15-year terms served consecutively. She denied the defense’s motion for a new trial and ordered him to register as a sex offender.¹⁵

All three accusers gave victim impact statements. Jane Doe 2 told Masterson, “When you raped me, you stole from me. That’s what rape is, a theft of the spirit,” and added, “The world is better off with you in prison.” Jane Doe 1 said Masterson “has not shown an ounce of remorse.”¹⁶ Masterson did not speak. His attorney Shawn Holley maintained his innocence, telling the court that “sometimes they get it wrong — and that’s what happened here.”¹⁵ Judge Olmedo told Masterson directly, “you are not the victim here.”

Masterson is now housed at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo, a medium- and minimum-security facility. He was transferred there after safety concerns at his initial placement at Corcoran State Prison. He is not eligible for parole until 2042 at the earliest.¹⁷

The Appeal and Habeas Petition

Masterson’s defense team is running two parallel challenges to the conviction. A direct appeal was filed in December 2024, with an opening brief submitted in January 2025 that challenges evidentiary rulings Judge Olmedo made during the retrial.¹⁸ Then, on November 17, 2025, appellate attorney Eric Multhaup filed a 183-page petition for habeas corpus with the California Second District Court of Appeal.¹⁹

The habeas petition argues that trial attorney Philip Cohen provided ineffective assistance. It claims Cohen contacted only two of twenty potential defense witnesses identified by co-counsel and investigators, including people who would have testified that the accusers spoke favorably about their relationships with Masterson, as well as experts on memory and on the effects of drugs and alcohol.²⁰ It further argues Cohen should have called Hugh Whitt, a prominent Scientologist on the witness list, to rebut prosecution claims about the church’s policies, and that Cohen failed to adapt a cross-examination-only strategy that had nearly worked in the first trial once the retrial brought stronger prosecution evidence.¹⁸

The petition also alleges judicial bias, saying Judge Olmedo allowed an “unconstitutional intrusion” into Church of Scientology doctrine and let the prosecution characterize the church as a “force of intimidation.”²⁰ Both the appeal and the habeas petition remain pending, with no ruling or oral arguments reported as of mid-2026.

The Civil Suit Against Masterson and the Church

The criminal case runs alongside civil litigation. In August 2019, four women, including Chrissie Carnell Bixler and actress Bobette Riales, sued Masterson and the Church of Scientology, alleging that the church orchestrated a campaign of stalking, harassment, and intimidation to keep them from cooperating with police.⁹ A December 2023 amended complaint sought civil RICO penalties and accused church leader David Miscavige of running a “criminal enterprise,” alleging property trespass, electronic surveillance, and physical threats. Church spokeswoman Karin Pouw called the claims “outrageous” and an “attempted money grab.”²¹

In May 2026, the California Court of Appeal largely rejected the church’s attempt to dismiss the lawsuit under California’s anti-SLAPP statute, allowing the bulk of the plaintiffs’ claims to proceed to trial.²² The civil case is ongoing.

Career and Personal Fallout

Netflix fired Masterson from the sitcom The Ranch on December 5, 2017, and wrote his character out of the show. The decision followed a petition calling for his removal that gathered more than 38,000 signatures and reporting that a Netflix executive had told one of the accusers company leadership did not believe them; Netflix later called those comments “careless” and “uninformed.”²³²⁴ Masterson was not part of Netflix’s sequel series That ’90s Show, though reruns of That ’70s Show have continued to air on the digital network Laff and remain available on Peacock.²⁵

Eleven days after sentencing, on September 18, 2023, Masterson’s wife Bijou Phillips filed for divorce in Santa Barbara, citing irreconcilable differences. She requested full legal and physical custody of their daughter, Fianna, along with spousal support.²⁶ A judge restored Phillips and Masterson to single status in October 2025, and Phillips has since filed court documents to remove the Masterson surname from their daughter’s name.²⁷

1
The Guardian. Danny Masterson Rape Trial: Church of Scientology
2
LA County District Attorney. Actor Charged With Raping Three Women
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Courthouse News Service. Judge Rejects Actor Danny Masterson’s Bid to Toss One of Three Rape Charges
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The Hollywood Reporter. LAPD Investigating Danny Masterson Allegations of Sexual Assault
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NBC News. Two Hollywood Stars Are Accused of Rape. Scientology Is Also on Trial
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NBC News. Two Hollywood Stars Are Accused of Rape. Scientology Is Also on Trial
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NBC News. Danny Masterson’s Victims Portray Predator in Powerful Impact Statements
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KSAT. Danny Masterson’s Rape Retrial Closing Arguments Set to Begin
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People. Danny Masterson Charged With Rape: Timeline of Allegations
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NBC News. Danny Masterson Trial Hung Jury Gives Defense Team Second Shot at Strategy
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Los Angeles Times. Mistrial in Danny Masterson Rape Trial After Jury Deadlocks
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Spectrum News. Jury Resumes Deliberations in Rape Retrial of Actor Danny Masterson
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Rolling Stone. Danny Masterson Rape Convictions Blames Lawyer
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NPR. Danny Masterson Rape Retrial
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ABC News. Danny Masterson Sentencing
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NBC News. Danny Masterson Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison
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Deadline. Danny Masterson Prison Parole
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Variety. Danny Masterson Appeal: Poor Defense in Rape Trial
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Deadline. Danny Masterson Scientology Rape Trial Petition
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ABC7. That ’70s Show Actor Danny Masterson Asks Rape Convictions, Prison Sentence Tossed Over Lawyer Errors
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LA Mag. Danny Masterson Rape Victims: Scientology Criminal Enterprise
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Bloomberg Law. Scientology’s Bids to Dismiss Masterson Suit Fails on Appeal
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The Hollywood Reporter. Danny Masterson Fired From Netflix’s The Ranch
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Time. Netflix Danny Masterson Rape Allegations
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The Hollywood Reporter. Danny Masterson That ’70s Show Streaming on Peacock
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People. Bijou Phillips Files for Divorce From Danny Masterson
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Yahoo Entertainment. Danny Masterson’s Ex-Wife Bijou Phillips