California Appeals: Masterson's 30-Year Sentence Confirmed

Danny Masterson will serve a minimum of 30 years in prison after a California appeals court issued a unanimous ruling on Tuesday to uphold his 2023 rape convictions. The decision by the Second District Court of Appeal leaves his sentence of 30 years to life in place, rejecting every legal argument submitted by the actor.

The three-judge panel reviewed an 89-page decision that found the trial court did not commit errors severe enough to warrant a new trial. Masterson, 50, was convicted on two counts of rape involving two women in 2003. This outcome followed a retrial after the first attempt in 2022 ended with a deadlocked jury. Jurors in the second trial also failed to reach a verdict on a count involving a third woman who alleged she was raped in 2001.

The case drew attention to the role of the Church of Scientology, a faith to which Masterson belongs. His accusers were members at the time of the alleged assaults and testified that their status within the church delayed their reports to police. They stated that Scientology officials told them they had not been raped, subjected them to ethics programs, and warned them against reporting a high-ranking member to law enforcement.

Defense attorneys argued on appeal that Masterson’s First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion was violated. They claimed the trial judge displayed hostility toward Scientology and made statements lacking neutrality. The appellate judges disagreed with this assessment, stating that the comments showed no animus or departure from neutrality regarding the religion when viewed in context.

The ruling also clarified that jurors were not asked to decide whether Scientology doctrine was true or false. The court determined that admitting evidence about the church did not violate the First Amendment. The panel further rejected arguments concerning the statute of limitations and specific evidentiary rulings made during the trial.

In addition to the main appeal, the court denied a separate habeas corpus petition that argued Masterson did not receive an adequate defense. Representatives for the actor had not responded to requests for comment by the time of publication. In a statement to Variety, appellate attorneys Cliff Gardner and Eric Multhaup said they plan to appeal to the California Supreme Court and pursue a separate petition.