Danny Masterson is asking for more time to prepare the defense for his rape trial, accusing Leah Remini of influencing police and prosecutors against him.
That 70s Show star and Scientologist Masterson, 45, was arrested in June 2020 on suspicion of raping three women – who have not been named – in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003.
Now he claims Remini has been working against him by speaking with officials, according to TMZ. Remini once belonged to the Church of Scientology; she now speaks out against it and its unorthodox practices.
In 2016 Masterson said Remini expressed ‘religious bigotry’. He claims since then she has been working against him by urging all his accusers to make formal complaints.
He alleges she even ‘corrected’ their statements to police, according to court documents. Masterson also claims the prosecution were ‘starstruck’ by Remini, who he alleges uses LAPD as her personal security.
At the time of his arrest Remini had tweeted: ‘Finally, victims are being heard when it comes to Scientology! Praise the lord!
‘This is just the beginning Scientology, your days of getting away with it is coming to an end! #justice #scientologytheaftermath’.
Actor and Scientologist Masterson, 45, was arrested in June 2020 on suspicion of raping three women in separate incidents between 2001 and 2003. He is pictured left with his lawyer Thomas Mesereau at Los Angeles Superior Court on September 18, 2020
Masterson claims Remini, who is an outspoken critic of the church, has been working against him by speaking with officials. The two are pictured in 2009
Masterson stands accused of raping a 23-year-old woman between January and December 2001, according to a complaint.
He is also accused of raping a 28-year-old woman in April 2003 and sometime between October and December of that year of raping a woman, 23, who officials say he had invited to his Hollywood Hills home.
Masterson, who also starred in Netflix’s ‘The Ranch’, has been charged with three counts of rape by force or fear.
All of the alleged crimes occurred at Masterson’s home, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller of the Sex Crimes Division, who is prosecuting the case, said.
Masterson now faces 45 years to life in state prison.
Remini once belonged to the Church of Scientology; she now speaks out against it
At the time of his arrest Remini had tweeted: ‘Finally, victims are being heard when it comes to Scientology! Praise the lord! ‘This is just the beginning Scientology, your days of getting away with it is coming to an end! #justice #scientologytheaftermath’
In February 2020, Masterson had been accused of rape by four women in a lawsuit. It is unclear if those women are the same as the alleged victims in the charges he faces.
At the time, he slammed them for accusing him of rape, saying the lawsuit they have filed against him and the Church of Scientology is just a ‘shameful money grab’.
Masterson has been married to actor and model Bijou Phillips since 2011.
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. In 2016 Masterson said Remini, pictured, expressed ‘religious bigotry’. He claims since then she has been working against him by urging all his accusers to make formal complaints
Masterson’s attorney Tom Mesereau said in a statement in 2020: ‘Mr. Masterson is innocent, and we’re confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify.
‘Obviously, Mr. Masterson and his wife are in complete shock considering that these nearly 20-year old allegations are suddenly resulting in charges being filed, but they and their family are comforted knowing that ultimately the truth will come out.
‘The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false.’
The alleged rapes came at the height of Masterson’s fame as he starred on the retro sitcom ‘That ’70s Show’ alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace. The series ran on Fox TV from 1998 to 2006 and has had a long afterlife in reruns.
He had reunited with Kutcher on the Netflix western sitcom ‘The Ranch’ when the LAPD investigation of him was revealed in March 2017.
He was later written off the show.
The alleged rapes came at the height of Masterson’s fame as he starred on the retro sitcom ‘That ’70s Show’ alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace. The series ran on Fox TV from 1998 to 2006 and has had a long afterlife in reruns. Top row L-R: Wilmer Valderrama, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Topher Grace, Laura Prepon. Center L-R: Don Stark, Tanya Roberts, Mila Kunis, Lisa Robin Kelly, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith
Masterson decried the Hollywood atmosphere that led to his losing the job, and also suggested at the time that his high-profile membership in the Church of Scientology was leading to his persecution.
He said in a 2017 statement that ‘in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.’
Masterson has repeatedly denied all the accusations against him since they first came to light in 2017.
