Danny Masterson, the That ’70s Show actor, was convicted in May 2023 of two counts of forcible rape and sentenced that September to 30 years to life in California state prison. He is currently held at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo and is pursuing both a direct appeal and a habeas corpus petition seeking to overturn the convictions. The Danny Masterson case has drawn sustained attention because it put not only the actor but the internal practices of the Church of Scientology in front of a jury.1ABC News. Danny Masterson Asks Rape Convictions, Prison Sentence Tossed Over Lawyer Errors
The Charges and the Accusers
Three women, all former Scientologists, accused Masterson of raping them at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. In court they were identified as Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and Jane Doe 3. Jane Doe 2 had been in a long-term relationship with Masterson dating back to the mid-1990s.2NBC News. Danny Masterson’s Victims Portray Predator in Powerful Impact Statements Each alleged that Masterson drugged and assaulted her, and that the Church of Scientology discouraged her from reporting to police.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed an active investigation in March 2017 and referred the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office the following month.3People. Danny Masterson Charged With Rape: A Timeline of Allegations Charges did not follow for more than three years. On June 17, 2020, prosecutors charged Masterson with three counts of rape by force or fear; he was arrested and released on $3.3 million bail.4Variety. Danny Masterson Charged With Rape of Three Women The DA declined to bring charges in two additional cases, one for insufficient evidence and one because the statute of limitations had expired. Masterson pleaded not guilty in January 2021.
From Mistrial to Conviction
Masterson’s first trial began on October 18, 2022, in Los Angeles before Judge Charlaine Olmedo. After roughly six days of deliberation, the jury reported it was “hopelessly deadlocked” on all three counts, and Judge Olmedo declared a mistrial on November 30, 2022.5NBC News. Mistrial Declared in Danny Masterson Rape Case After Jury Deadlocked According to a spokesperson for Masterson, only two of twelve jurors voted to convict on the first count, four on the second, and five on the third.6Los Angeles Times. Mistrial in Danny Masterson Rape Trial After Jury Deadlocks
The retrial changed the evidentiary picture. Judge Olmedo allowed prosecutors to tell jurors directly that Masterson had drugged his victims, a claim only implied the first time around.7KSAT. Danny Masterson’s Rape Retrial: Closing Arguments Set to Begin More consequentially, she permitted far more testimony about Scientology’s internal practices, ruling on March 28, 2023, that such evidence was necessary for jurors to understand why the accusers had waited nearly two decades to come forward and that admitting it did not violate Masterson’s religious rights.8Rolling Stone. Danny Masterson Rape Conviction and Scientology Accountability
Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson argued in closing that Masterson, as a celebrity within the church, was seen as “untouchable” and that the organization taught victims they bore responsibility for what happened to them.7KSAT. Danny Masterson’s Rape Retrial: Closing Arguments Set to Begin Defense attorney Philip Cohen argued that the focus on Scientology was a distraction from weaknesses in the prosecution’s case.
On May 31, 2023, the jury found Masterson guilty on two counts of forcible rape involving Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2. Jurors deadlocked on the count involving Jane Doe 3, and prosecutors later dismissed that charge.9BBC. Danny Masterson Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison for Rape He was deemed a flight risk and taken into custody immediately.
The 30-Years-to-Life Sentence
On September 7, 2023, Judge Olmedo sentenced Masterson to two consecutive terms of 15 years to life, one for each count, totaling 30 years to life. He was also required to register as a sex offender.10ABC News. Danny Masterson Sentencing Live Updates
“Mr. Masterson, I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that has failed you,” the judge told him. “But Mr. Masterson, you are not the victim here.”11NBC News. Danny Masterson Sentenced to 30 Years to Life in Prison
All three accusers spoke at the hearing. Jane Doe 1 said Masterson had laughed at her suffering and shown “not an ounce of remorse,” and described being shunned by her Scientologist mother. Jane Doe 2 said her career collapsed after the assault and that she had been “terrorized” and “harassed” after coming forward. Jane Doe 3 said she had spent most of her life “viewing my body as a crime scene.”2NBC News. Danny Masterson’s Victims Portray Predator in Powerful Impact Statements
Masterson will not be eligible for parole until 2042, with a tentative consultation with parole officials scheduled for 2038. Judge Olmedo denied his request for bail pending appeal in January 2024.12Deadline. Danny Masterson Prison and Parole Details
Scientology’s Role at Trial
All three accusers were former members of the Church of Scientology, and each alleged the church had actively worked to prevent her from going to police. Jane Doe 3 testified that after she reported the assault to a church ethics officer at the Celebrity Centre International, the officer told her not to use the word “rape” and told her: “I had done something to cause it. We’re all responsible for the condition we’re in.”13NBC News. Two Hollywood Stars Are Accused of Rape. Scientology Is Also on Trial
Claire Headley, a former senior Scientology official who had worked under church leader David Miscavige, testified as an expert witness. She told jurors that church members are not permitted to report crimes by fellow Scientologists to police, and that reporting a fellow member would require authorization from an “International Justice Chief,” which she said was never granted. Accusers also testified they were warned that reporting Masterson could get them labeled a “Suppressive Person,” triggering forced disconnection from family and the church’s “Fair Game” policy.8Rolling Stone. Danny Masterson Rape Conviction and Scientology Accountability
The Church of Scientology has consistently denied the allegations. 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.”13NBC News. Two Hollywood Stars Are Accused of Rape. Scientology Is Also on Trial
Where the Appeal Stands
Masterson’s team is pursuing two parallel tracks. The direct appeal was argued before a three-judge panel of California’s Second District Court of Appeal on June 25, 2026, and is under submission. The defense argued that the trial court improperly kept jurors from hearing that the accusers could only file civil sexual assault lawsuits if Masterson was criminally convicted, allegedly giving them a financial motive to shape their testimony. Prosecutors responded that the jury knew about the pending civil litigation and that the proposed evidence was speculative. Justice Victoria Chavez expressed skepticism about the defense position, noting the defense could have questioned the witnesses about any intent to sue during the trial itself.14Courthouse News Service. Danny Masterson Asks Appeals Court to Overturn Rape Conviction
The second track is a 183-page habeas corpus petition filed on November 17, 2025, by attorney Eric Multhaup. It alleges ineffective assistance of counsel, claiming trial attorney Philip Cohen spoke with only two of 20 potential defense witnesses and failed to present what the filing calls “a mountain of exculpatory evidence” gathered by pretrial attorney Shawn Holley.15U.S. News. Actor Danny Masterson Asks for Rape Convictions to Be Tossed Over Lawyer Errors Specific alleged failures include not calling witnesses who reportedly could have testified that one accuser described her encounters with Masterson as consensual, not introducing medical evidence that could have provided an alternative explanation for symptoms the prosecution attributed to drugging, and not calling a Scientology expert to rebut Claire Headley.16Deadline. Danny Masterson Files Habeas Corpus Petition The petition also alleges judicial bias by Judge Olmedo and prosecutorial misconduct, including an alleged “entanglement” between the LAPD investigation and church critic Leah Remini.17ABC News. Danny Masterson Blames Lawyer, Anti-Scientology Bias for Rape Convictions The court has not ruled on the petition’s request for an evidentiary hearing.
The Civil Lawsuit Against Scientology
Several accusers filed a separate civil lawsuit, Bixler v. Church of Scientology International, originally in 2019. It alleges that the church orchestrated a campaign of harassment and retaliation against women who reported Masterson: surveillance and trespassing, hacked bank accounts, mail theft, tampering with grocery deliveries, harassment of family members, the killing of one accuser’s dog, and threats to release nude photos. An amended complaint seeks to hold the church liable as a “criminal enterprise” under federal civil RICO standards. Church spokeswoman Karin Pouw called the litigation “nothing but an attempted money grab.”18LA Mag. Danny Masterson Rape Victims Call Scientology a Criminal Enterprise
The civil case did not go to trial as tentatively scheduled in September 2025, held up by appellate proceedings over the church’s anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss. On May 19, 2026, the California Court of Appeal issued an unpublished opinion largely denying that motion, allowing the harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims to proceed toward trial.19Bloomberg Law. Scientology’s Bids to Dismiss Masterson Suit Fails on Appeal No settlement or verdict has been reached.
Career, Character Letters, and Divorce
Professional consequences arrived years before the conviction. In December 2017, after the LAPD investigation became public and a petition calling for his removal gathered more than 38,000 signatures, Netflix fired Masterson from the comedy series The Ranch. His final day of filming was December 4, 2017. At the time, Masterson said the allegations had been investigated years earlier and “determined to be without merit.”20The Hollywood Reporter. Danny Masterson Fired From Netflix’s The Ranch Amid Rape Allegations
Before sentencing, more than a hundred pages of character-reference letters were filed with the court seeking leniency, including letters from Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, who described Masterson as a “role model” with “innate goodness.” The letters drew a fierce public backlash. Two days after sentencing, Kutcher and Kunis posted a joint Instagram video saying the letters were written at the family’s request to give the judge context and “not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s ruling.”21Los Angeles Times. Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis Respond to Danny Masterson Sentencing Letters
On September 18, 2023, less than two weeks after sentencing, Masterson’s wife Bijou Phillips filed for divorce in Santa Barbara Superior Court, seeking full legal and physical custody of the couple’s daughter.22Vanity Fair. Bijou Phillips Files for Divorce From Danny Masterson The divorce was finalized on October 24, 2025, and Phillips subsequently filed to change their daughter’s surname from Masterson to Phillips.23People. Bijou Phillips Files to Drop Masterson From Daughter’s Name
Masterson was initially held at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles, then transferred to Corcoran State Prison, and in February 2024 moved to the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo after what were described as safety concerns at Corcoran. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation declined to elaborate.24San Luis Obispo Tribune. Danny Masterson Transferred to California Men’s Colony