Danny Masterson’s 30-Year Sentence Stands After Appeal Is Denied
Danny Masterson’s rape convictions will stand, at least for now.
A California appeals court on Tuesday, Oct. 27, upheld the former actor’s convictions and his prison sentence of 30 years to life for raping two women at his Hollywood Hills home in 2003. In an 89-page ruling, a three-judge panel unanimously rejected the arguments Masterson’s attorneys raised on appeal.
Masterson, best known for playing Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show, was convicted in 2023. His attorneys say they will now ask the California Supreme Court to review the case.
What the Appeals Court Decided
Masterson’s legal team raised a long list of objections on appeal, and the court rejected each of them.
Among the claims the panel turned down were arguments that the convictions violated the statute of limitations for forcible rape, that the trial court wrongly excluded evidence in his favor, and that the judge showed bias against his religion. The court found that the 10-year statute of limitations for forcible rape doesn’t apply in cases involving multiple victims.
The panel also rejected a separate petition claiming Masterson’s original trial lawyer had provided ineffective assistance. And it dismissed the broader argument that the combined effect of the alleged errors had deprived Masterson of a fair trial.
The Role of Scientology in the Case
A central part of the appeal focused on how the Church of Scientology was discussed during the trials. Masterson and the women he was convicted of raping were all members of the church, and the women later left.
Prosecutors argued that the women delayed reporting what happened, or calling it rape, out of fear of retaliation for violating a church rule against going to police. The women testified that church officials told them what happened to them wasn’t rape.
Masterson’s attorneys argued that Judge Charlaine Olmedo’s remarks and rulings about Scientology infringed on his First Amendment rights and improperly brought church doctrine into the case.
The appeals court disagreed. “The jury in this case was not asked to determine the truth or falsity of Scientology doctrine or beliefs,” the court wrote, explaining that the evidence about the church was introduced for specific reasons.
Masterson’s Attorneys Plan Next Steps
Masterson’s appellate attorneys, Cliff Gardner and Eric Multhaup, said they will take the matter to the California Supreme Court. They are also pursuing a separate habeas corpus petition.
In a statement, Gardner said the appeals court ignored what he called new evidence, which he says includes statements from both women describing their experiences with Masterson as consensual. Masterson has maintained his innocence.
How the Case Unfolded
Masterson was first tried in 2022, but that case ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked. At his retrial in 2023, a jury convicted him on two counts of forcible rape. The jury deadlocked on a third count involving another woman, a former longtime girlfriend.
In September 2023, Olmedo sentenced Masterson to 15 years to life on each count, to be served consecutively. During the sentencing, one of the women, identified in court as Jane Doe 2, addressed Masterson directly. “You relish in hurting women,” she told him.
The case also drew wide attention when Masterson’s That ’70s Show co-stars Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis wrote letters of support for him before his sentencing. Masterson is currently serving his sentence at a medium-security prison in San Luis Obispo, California.
For now, Tuesday’s ruling leaves his convictions and sentence in place as his attorneys prepare to bring the case before the state’s highest court.
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