Danny Masterson's Rape Trial Ends In Mistrial, Leah Remini Speaks Up

Danny Masterson's courtroom drama has ended in a mistrial as the Los Angeles jury failed to agree on a verdict against the rape charges filed against the actor, once the star of 'That 70s Show.'

Masterson was accused of rape in the early 2000s by three women, something he always denied and instead, blamed it on public persecution for him being a member of the Church of Scientology. For now, according to BBC, the office of the Los Angles District Attorney is mulling over the next steps to take as it declares the next trial to be in March. Here go the details and Leah Remini's take on the same.

46-year-old Master was charged in 2020 with three counts of rape, between 2001 and 2003, accused by three women in their 20s. The accusations came to light in 2017, right on the heels of the #MeToo movement which saw many Hollywood names get accused of sexual assault and misbehavior.

At the time, Masterson was starring in the Netflix show, "The Ranch", and was written out soon after, to which he responded by saying that he was not yet charged or convicted, but "presumed guilty the moment you are accused".

The deliberations started last November, and the news was grim for Masterson who, if convicted, could have faced 45 years to life in prison. However, the jury soon deadlocked and despite more time, could not agree on a verdict, forcing the judge to declare a mistrial.

The district attorney's office also made a statement, "While we are disappointed with the outcome of this trial, we thank the jurors for their service. We also want to give our heartfelt appreciation to the victims for bravely stepping forward and recounting their harrowing experiences."

Masterson’s attorney, Philip Cohen, welcomed the judgment, of course, saying: “I am extremely pleased and proud of this jury and the time and the dedication and the work they put into their decision." His wife Bijou Phillips has also always maintained her belief in his innocence.

When asked how Masterson felt because there hasn't been a direct statement from him, Cohen continued to say that it was a "relief". He stated, "He [Masterson] feels the same way I do. It’s a big relief, at this stage. To the extent we have another battle ahead of us, it’s something that we’re going to be ready to deal with.”

Meanwhile, since Masterson was an active member of the Church of Scientology, accusations that the church was also involved have been made. The women who accused Masterson of rape were members of the Church of Scientology and had approached the elders. They claim they were pressured to not report the same and bullied, so they took the final step of approaching the law for help.

Scientology critic Leah Remini has also spoken up about the mistrial, vowing to fight back. In an Instagram post, she said, "David Miscavige, I know you read my tweets. There is nothing you can do to intimidate me into silence and I will not stop fighting you and the evil, criminal enterprise you control."

Many of Remini's fans and followers appreciated her unending fight, with comments like:

"Thank you for your persistence and your voice. There are a ton of us who know you are a truth-teller and who support you."

"PLEASE continue to speak about this disgusting evil. NEVER stop using your voice, because you have educated not only myself but many others about this horrible truth that sadly continues to go on."

"Thank you for all you do to support victims and stand up against an abusive giant. Your statement gives us hope; there are so many people that you uplift. The victims deserve justice, the public deserves safety, and Scientology needs to pay taxes and then be terminated. This abuse needs to end and these powerful and harmful people need to be held accountable. These crimes against humanity cannot go ignored."

The Church of Scientology issued a statement following the ruling and comments saying,

"The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of Scientologists, or of anyone, to law enforcement. Quite the opposite. Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land."

Adding, "There is zero truth to any of the testimony that the Church has harassed or stalked the Jane Does. Investigation of the allegations has over and over shown them to be baseless. But the Jane Does, urged on by Leah Remini, all filed a civil suit against the Church in an attempted shakedown for cash. So it is no surprise they repeated their false accusations against the Church—without any evidence whatsoever, since there is none."

To read Scientology's entire statement on the subject....click here.