Danny Masterson Is Claiming Poor Representation In Rape Convictions

Danny Masterson has found a new argument for his rape case: His lawyer.

The disgraced actor, who was convicted of raping two women in 2023, has called out the attorney who represented him during the case. He argued that his 30-year prison sentence would never have happened if the legal rep had done his job correctly.

Danny Masterson's fall from grace began in 2017 when three women filed sexual assault allegations against him. More victims came out that year, and a civil lawsuit was filed against the "That '70s Show." The case dragged on for years, including a 2023 retrial that ended with a guilty conviction.

According to new reports, Masterson filed legal documents on Monday to accuse his attorney of poor representation. He slammed Philip Cohen for failing to prove his innocence by ignoring his advice and multiple potential witnesses.

Masterson explained that Cohen wasn't meant to be the lead attorney of his case, but took over after his former lead attorney couldn't represent him due to scheduling conflicts. He painted Cohen as bullheaded, claiming he did not listen to the opinions of others.

The incarcerated actor accused Cohen of writing off potential witnesses in his case, noting that he spoke to two out of more than twenty people. Masterson, per TMZ, believed these witnesses were crucial to proving his innocence; however, Cohen ignored his pleas.

Masterson continued berating his attorney, calling out Cohen for ignoring witnesses and refusing to let a Scientologist take the stand. During the criminal rape case, prosecutors had argued that victims typically feared retaliation if they reported high-profile church members to the police.

In the documents, Masterson claimed that the Church of Scientology had advised Cohen to let a Scientologist take the stand to refute these claims. However, the attorney did not believe it was necessary, nor did he contradict the prosecutor's claims about Scientology.

Instead, Cohen questioned why Scientology was being made a focal point in the case, a weak argument in Masterson's book. On that note, he implied the jury would have been more likely to deem him innocent if Cohen had done his job correctly.

"The jury saw only the tip of the iceberg of available defense evidence in the form of the complaining witnesses' inconsistent statements while the wealth of directly exculpatory evidence went unused for no viable tactical reason," Masterson's argument read.

The Church of Scientology was dragged into the rape allegations because Masterson and the victims hailed from the religious organization. The Blast shared in April 2024 that an unearthed court filing saw these women accusing the church of harassment and intimidation.

In the documents, the victims claimed a prosecutor on the case had been harassed by the church in an attempt to derail the rape case against Masterson. They allegedly broke the windows of the prosecutor's home and car, tampered with his electronics, and kept the prosecutor under surveillance.

LA County Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller echoed similar sentiments in 2023, claiming his home was trashed and he got run off the road. Although he did not publicly blame the church, law enforcement sources noted that he named them responsible for harassment and intimidation tactics.

Following his 2023 guilty conviction on two of the three counts of forcible rape, Masterson was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The Blast reported that his journey behind bars wasn't smooth, with multiple transfers in two months.

Masterson first reported to the North Kern facility before getting transferred to the Corcoran State Prison. His stay at the infamous site was brief as he was soon moved to the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo.

At the time, his transfers sparked speculations about his safety being at risk, but sources with direct knowledge shared a different narrative. They explained that his prison jumps followed standard procedure because officials had waited for space to open at the California Men's Colony, his designated prison.

News of Masterson's latest legal filing comes a month after his ex-wife, Bijou Phillips, made a shocking move. The Blast covered the story, reporting that Phillips had filed legal documents to change her daughter's last name to hers.

Phillips seemed desperate to shield her daughter from the aftermath of Masterson's guilty conviction by removing her last name. She made the move after a judge restored the former couple's single status, closing their chapter together.

Although Phillips happily supported Masterson throughout his criminal rape case and retrial, she filed for divorce a week after his 30-year prison sentence. She has since moved on and is reportedly dating businessman Jamie Mazur, with whom she was spotted earlier this year.

Will Danny Masterson's cries of poor representation earn him any sympathies?