Philip Cohen: Last News

The final day of the first full week of testimony in Danny Masterson’s multiple rape trial Friday may have started a bit later than usual, but things got fiery pretty quick.

The jury in the rape trial of Danny Masterson has rendered a verdict, finding the “That ’70s Show” alum to be guilty on two counts of forcible rape.

Former That '70s Show star Danny Masterson has been convicted on two counts of forcible rape.The actor was convicted on Wednesday and faces a potential prison sentence of 30 years to life on the two charges. A verdict was not reached by the jury on a third rape charge.The Masterson family, who were seated in the audience in court, were reportedly shocked to hear the guilty verdicts. Actor Danny was accused of raping three women between 2001 and 2003 at his Hollywood Hills home.

Danny Masterson was found guilty Wednesday in his rape retrial. He was found guilty on two counts.The jury was hung on a third charge. A jury of seven men and five women deliberated for eight days before reaching the verdicts.  No sentencing date has yet been set, but the judge told Masterson and his lawyers to return to court Aug.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Danny Masterson, the former star of “That ’70s Show,” was convicted Wednesday on two counts of forcible rape. The jury could not reach a verdict on a third rape charge, deadlocking with a vote of 8-4 in favor of conviction. Masterson faces a potential sentence of 30 years to life in prison on the two charges. Shortly after the clerk read the guilty verdicts, there was an audible gasp from Masterson’s family, who were seated in the audience. Masterson was accused of raping three women at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. The jury convicted him of raping two women in 2003, but could not reach a verdict pertaining to an allegation from November 2001 involving a former girlfriend.

LOS ANGELES — Danny Masterson drugged women’s drinks so he could rape them, then relied on his prominence in the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences for years, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday in closing arguments at the actor’s trial.

Jurors in Danny Masterson’s rape retrial are expected to begin deliberations Wednesday morning after lawyers wrap up closing arguments in the case against the former “That ’70s Show” star.

Danny Masterson drugged women’s drinks so he could rape them, then relied on his prominence in the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences for years, a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday in closing arguments at the actor’s trial. "The defendant drugs his victims to gain control. He does this to take away his victims’ ability to consent," Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson told the jury of seven men and five women.

That ‘70s Show — is on trial for the second time following allegations of rape. The first ended in a mistrial back in December 2022.Masterson is accused of three charges of rape, all taking place at his home between the period of 2001 and 2003.

Actor Danny Masterson drugged then raped three women at his Hollywood-area home between 2001 and 2003, a prosecutor told jurors Monday in his opening statement in the retrial of the star of "That ’70s Show." Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller said Masterson put substances into drinks that he gave to a longtime girlfriend and two women he knew through friend circles around the Church of Scientology, all of whom Masterson is charged with raping. "The evidence will show that they were drugged," Mueller told the jury.The defense denies such evidence exists.

Danny Masterson was back in court Monday as the jury selection process began for his retrial for rape charges. One set of potential jurors was brought in Monday morning and a second group will be brought in later in the day. Another set of jurors will be brought in on Tuesday.The judge plans to question the group on Wednesday.

Currently incarcerated in downtown Los Angeles on 18 criminal counts of rape, former Scrubs co-executive producer Eric Weinberg has now been sued by two different women in civil court for sexual assault.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Scientology was front and center on Tuesday as the rape trial against “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson began with opening statements. Masterson is a Scientologist and each of his alleged victims was a Scientologist at the time of the alleged rapes, which span from 2001 to 2003. Reinhold Mueller, the lead prosecutor, made several references in his opening statement to church terminology and practices in explaining why two of the accusers delayed reporting to the police. “They can declare you a suppressive person,” Mueller said. “You are essentially an enemy of the church. Your friends, your parents — if you have children who are part of the church — they all have to detach from you. Essentially you lose everything.”

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Attorneys are set to give opening statements in the Danny Masterson rape trial on Tuesday, as a jury is expected to be chosen by mid-morning. Over the last week, the initial pool of 225 potential jurors has been narrowed to about 85. On Monday, the defense and the prosecution began to question the potential jurors in open court — in what is called voir dire — after an initial round of screening from Judge Charlaine Olmedo. One of the key questions has been how much the potential jurors know about Scientology. Masterson is a Scientologist and each of his three accusers was a Scientologist at the time of the alleged rape. The accusers — now all ex-Scientologists — have said that they delayed going to the police out of concern that they could be excommunicated.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Danny Masterson’s lawyer warned on Monday that TV ads in the race for Los Angeles mayor could inflame hostility toward the Church of Scientology, making it harder for Masterson to receive a fair trial. Masterson, the former “That ’70s Show” star, is scheduled to go on trial next week on three charges of forcible rape. Masterson is a member of the Church of Scientology, and the church and its processes are likely to figure in the trial. The church has also become an issue in the mayor’s race. Last week, Rick Caruso began running an ad attacking Karen Bass for praising Scientology during a speech in 2010. The ad includes a quote referring to the church as a “ruthless global scam.” Bass responded by saying that she “absolutely condemn(s) their practices.”