Opening statements within the Danny Masterson rape trial in Los Angeles are set to start Tuesday morning and will final 5 weeks as Hollywood celebrities with Scientology ties similar to Lisa Marie Presley may take the stand.
Masterson, a member of the Church of Scientology, is going through three costs of forcible rape involving three victims who claimed the “That’s ’70s Present” actor sexually assaulted them in several incidents between 2001 and 2003.
On Monday, protection legal professional Philip Cohen requested potential jurors concerning the “elephant within the room— Scientology.”
“I solely have one query for you as a bunch,” Cohen mentioned. “Mr. Masterson is a Scientologist. The three ladies, alleged victims had been Scientologists on the time of the incidents. Does Mr. Masterson’s former and present relationship, involvement and standing as a Scientologist have any affect on the way you view him with respect to the federal government’s burden of proving costs? That is one thing I actually need to know.”
Decide Charlaine Olmedo instructed either side she expects a jury to be seated by mid-morning Tuesday and opening statements will start shortly thereafter. She instructed jurors the trial is anticipated to conclude on or earlier than November 18.
In accordance with the prosecution’s trial temporary obtained by The Submit, the alleged victims had been offered alcoholic drinks throughout every encounter with Masterson and had been out and in of consciousness whereas the actor allegedly raped them.
The ladies additionally alleged that after they reported Masterson to Scientology officers, they had been dissuaded from going to police and as an alternative had been warned they'd be labeled as a “suppressive individual” within the Church, that means they'd be ex-communicated and not have contact with their household or pals who're members.
Masterson, 46, has denied all the costs. He faces a jail sentence of 45 years to life if convicted of all costs.
Jane Doe 1 alleged Masterson forcibly raped her in April 2003, after she felt sick when she was in a sizzling tub with Masterson and Lisa Marie Presley’s then boyfriend, Luke Watson.
Jane Doe 1, solely recognized as “Jen B” mentioned Masterson took her to a toilet inside the house and began assaulting her. Presley is imagined to be the “Lisa” Jane Doe 1 referred to throughout her testimony at a Could 2021 preliminary listening to.
“Subsequently, defendant pulled Jen B. out of the bathe towards his mattress and hoisted her onto his mattress,” prosecutors wrote in a trial temporary. “Jen B. handed out after being put onto the mattress. When she regained consciousness, she was on her again with the defendant on prime of her penetrating her vagina together with his penis. Jen B. reached for the defendant’s hair to drag him off. She additionally grabbed a pillow that was behind her neck and pushed it in direction of the defendant’s face to push him off. Defendant pushed the pillow again onto Jen B’s face as he continued to penetrate her vagina.”
Decide Olmedo has mentioned she would enable some testimony concerning the Church’s practices, for instance if it performed a task in delaying the alleged victims from going to the Los Angeles Police Division as a result of they'd be labeled a “suppressive individual,” which one of many accusers has alleged.
Jane Doe 2, solely recognized as “N. Trout,” mentioned she by no means reported the incident to the Church for concern of getting in bother, in keeping with prosecutors.
“They've insurance policies and so they open up a guide and present you … when you've got a authorized scenario with one other member of the church, you might not deal with it externally from the Church, and it’s very specific,” Jane Doe 2 testified beforehand. “You'll lose every thing, your loved ones, your folks that you just’ve made, your good standing with the Church, your good standing with society … They put you on ‘Blast’ as being a suppressive individual and you're formally what’s known as ‘Declared.'”
Christina Bixler, who has publicly recognized herself as considered one of his accusers and known as “Jane Doe 3,” testified through the preliminary listening to that Masterson allegedly raped her not less than twice when she was relationship and dwelling with the actor in his Hollywood Hills house.
Throughout one incident in December 2001, Bixler mentioned she and Masterson had gone to dinner and he or she had one or two glasses of wine. Her subsequent recollection was waking up bare the following morning, her complete physique aching and her anus bleeding.
“I requested him, ‘What occurred final night time?’ I mentioned I didn’t have any reminiscence,” Bixler testified. “I mentioned, ‘I don’t know what’s fallacious however my backside is injured.’
“(Defendant) laughed at me and mentioned he had intercourse with me there. And I requested him if I used to be unconscious and he mentioned, ‘Sure.’ And I mentioned, ‘The entire time?’ And he mentioned, ‘Sure..'”
Bixler and different victims filed a separate civil swimsuit in August 2019 towards Masterson, the Church and different high-ranking Scientologists, together with Church chief David Miscavige.
Masterson and Church leaders tried to maintain the civil swimsuit out of court docket, arguing the plaintiffs should undergo the Church’s arbitration course of first, which might be in entrance of a panel of Scientology members.
A California appeals court docket, nonetheless, disagreed and allowed the civil swimsuit to maneuver ahead.
Bixler, her husband Cedrick Bixler-Zavala, Marie Bobette Riales and two different nameless victims claimed they had been “systematically stalked” after they reported to police that the “That ’70s Present” actor had raped the ladies.
Scientology leaders additionally filed the case with the US Supreme Courtroom to dam the civil swimsuit from transferring ahead however SCOTUS declined earlier this month so as to add the case to their docket.
Post a Comment