A jury in Los
Angeles has found US actor Danny Masterson guilty on two out of three counts of
rape.
The star of That
'70s Show, a TV series, faces up to 30 years in prison. He was led from court
in handcuffs.
Three women, all
former members of the Church of Scientology, accused the actor of sexual
assault at his Hollywood home from 2001-03.
Prosecutors
argued Masterson had relied on his status as a prominent Scientologist to avoid
accountability.
The jury of seven
women and five men was unable to reach a verdict on a third count after a week
of deliberations, ending up deadlocked at 8-4.
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One of his victims, who was raped in 2003, said in a statement quoted by the Associated Press: "I am experiencing a complex array of emotions - relief, exhaustion, strength, sadness - knowing that my abuser, Danny Masterson, will face accountability for his criminal behavior."
Masterson's
wife, actress and model Bijou Phillips, wept as he was led away, CBS
News reports. Other family and friends sat stone-faced.
Another jury in
an earlier trial was unable to reach a verdict in December 2022.
Prosecutors
chose to retry Masterson and this time the judge allowed attorneys to present
new evidence that had been barred from the first trial.
Though the actor
was not charged with drugging his victims, the jury heard testimony that the
women had been dosed before he raped them.
Masterson was
first accused of rape in 2017 during the height of the #MeToo movement. He responded
by saying that he had not been charged or convicted of a crime, and that in the
climate at the time "it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you
are accused".
Charges came
after a three-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Prosecutors did not file charges in two other cases because of insufficient
evidence and the statute of limitations expiring.
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Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that the Church of Scientology had helped cover up the assaults - an allegation the organisation has categorically denied.
At the time of
the assaults, Masterson and all three of his accusers were Scientologists.
Several of the women said it took them years to come forward because Church of
Scientology officials discouraged them from reporting the rape to police.
Instead, they
were forced to rely on the Church's "internal justice system",
prosecutors said.
Scientology
officials told one survivor she would be kicked out of the Church unless she
signed a non-disclosure agreement and accepted a payment of $400,000
(£320,000), according to prosecutors.
Judge Charlaine
Olmedo allowed both sides to discuss the dogma and practices of Scientology.
But Deputy
District Attorney Ariel Anson told jurors during the trial: "The Church
taught his victims, 'Rape isn't rape, you caused this, and above all, you are
never allowed to go to law enforcement.'"
Throughout the
trial, the defence tried to undermine the credibility of the "Jane
Does" by focusing on inconsistencies in their testimony and their supposed
drive to get "revenge" against their former Church.
During closing
arguments, Masterson's defence lawyer said of the survivors: "If you are
looking for motives why people are not being truthful… there are motives all
over the place."
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Although the Church of Scientology was not a defendant in the case, before closing arguments began, a lawyer with ties to the Church emailed the district attorney's office to complain about the way the Church was portrayed during the retrial.
The defence also
argued that the prosecution had relied heavily on testimony about drugging
because there was an absence of evidence of any force or violence.
Masterson's
lawyers tried, unsuccessfully, to have a mistrial declared
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