Danny Masterson Seeks to Overturn Rape Convictions Due to Legal Errors

LOS ANGELES — Actor Danny Masterson, known for his role in “That ’70s Show,” has filed a petition seeking to overturn his two rape convictions. He claims his trial attorney made critical errors, including failing to call essential witnesses and introduce key evidence that could have exonerated him.

The petition was submitted to California's 2nd District Court of Appeal. It argues that Masterson's lawyer, Philip Cohen, did not adequately represent him during the retrial, which concluded in 2023 with a guilty verdict for raping two women in 2003. As a result, Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.

According to the filing, the trial judge exhibited bias against the Church of Scientology, which Masterson is a member of, allowing improper influence over the trial proceedings.

Masterson's legal team revealed that Cohen only interviewed two out of 20 potential witnesses, some of whom could have testified that the accusers had previously spoken positively about their interactions with him. The petition emphasizes that there was a significant failure to present exculpatory evidence that had been previously gathered.

Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo denied requests to postpone Masterson's initial trial to accommodate his previous attorney's schedule, leading to Cohen taking over as the lead counsel.

The initial trial ended in a mistrial, with jurors unable to reach a consensus on any of the three charges against him. In the retrial, Masterson was convicted on two counts, while the jury could not reach a verdict on the third.

The petition also highlights alleged prosecutorial misconduct and judicial bias, arguing that the jury was only presented with the prosecution's side of the story. Eric Multhaup, the attorney who filed the petition, stated that Masterson deserves a new trial where his side can be fully heard.

Masterson, now 49, is currently serving his sentence at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo and is not eligible for parole for over 20 years. He was a prominent figure in Hollywood, starring alongside Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis in “That ’70s Show” from 1998 to 2006, and later in the Netflix comedy “The Ranch.”