Danny Masterson’s Rape Case Declared Mistrial

Danny Masterson's trial has been declared a mistrial. The jury was unable to come to unanimous decisions for all three charges of forcible rape that Masterson was facing.

Per NBC News, the jury's decision on Nov. 30 was compiled of two votes for guilty and 10 for not guilty in the case of count one; four votes for guilty and eight votes for not guilty in the case of count two; and five votes for guilty and seven votes for not guilty in the case of count three.

Two of the plaintiffs, as well as one plaintiff's husband, shared their reaction to the mistrial in a joint statement to E! News.

"We are obviously disappointed that, at least for the time being, Daniel Masterson has evaded criminal accountability for his deplorable acts," the Nov. 30 statement read. "However, we are collectively resolved to continue our fight for justice, including in civil court, where we have alleged that Mr. Masterson, along with the Church of Scientology, its leader David Miscavige, and others conspired to systematically stalk, harass, and intimidate us when we sought to shed light on Mr. Masterson's actions. This legal fight is far from over."

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Sharing a similar sentiment, the Los Angeles District Attorney shared that they are also “disappointed with the outcome.”

“We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences,” the District Attorney’s office said in part on Nov. 30.

“We will now consider our next steps as it relates to prosecuting this case.”

E! News has reached out to Masterson’s lawyer for comment but hasn’t heard back.

Masterson—whose acting credits include That ‘70s Show and Dracula 2000—was arrested and charged in 2020 for three counts of rape by force or fear with three separate women on separate occasions between 2001 and 2003, according to records obtained by E! News.

Following his arrest, Masterson's attorney told E! News that his client is not guilty. "Mr. Masterson is innocent," his attorney said in June 2020, "and we're confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify."

In January 2021, Masterson maintained his innocence by pleading not guilty to all three counts.

While Masterson is a member of the Church of Scientology, his accusers are former members who no longer associate with the religion. Per the Associated Press, during the preliminary hearing in May 2021, one accuser said she did not initially report her accusation against Masterson to the police out of fear of being labeled a "suppressive person" by the Church of Scientology.

Later that week in the preliminary hearing, Masterson's attorney alluded in court that the prosecution had anti-religious bias against the Church of Scientology. Karin Pouw, a Church of Scientology spokeswoman, told the LA Times at the time, "Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land, including the reporting of crimes."

During the trial, Masterson's attorney asked for a mistrial mere hours into witness testimony, saying that prosecutor Reinhold Mueller had violated the judge's ruling where she allowed the mention of Scientology in connection to the accusers' hesitation to go to the police.

The request for a mistrial was denied at that time.

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