LOS ANGELES (AP) — Danny Masterson, former star of the long-running sitcom “That ’70s Show,” is about to face 3 women in court who say he raped them 2 decades ago at a trial whose key figures are all current or former members of the Church of Scientology.
Opening statements could begin as early as Tuesday in the Los Angeles trial of the 46-year-old Masterson & while a judge has expressed her determination not to have the church become the center of the proceedings, it will inevitably loom large.
Masterson is charged with raping the women between 2001 & 2003 in his home, which functioned as a social hub when he was at the height of his fame. Masterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
One of the women had been Masterson’s longtime girlfriend. Another was a longtime friend & the third a newer acquaintance.
All 3 were members of the Church of Scientology, as Masterson still is. All 3 accusers have since left & they said the church’s insistence that it deal internally with problems between members made them hesitant at first to go to authorities.
“This is not going to become a trial on Scientology,” Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo asserted at a pre-trial hearing. But she said she would allow its discussion as a reason why the women delayed reporting to authorities.
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