We Can Now Refer To Danny Masterson As A Rapist In This Headline

No 'allegedlys' about it

After years of accusations and one trial that ended in a hung jury, Scientologist and star of "That 70's Show" and Beethoven's 2nd, Danny Masterson has been found guilty in a retrial of drugging and raping two women in the early 2000s. The jury was hopelessly deadlocked in the case of a third victim, Masterson's ex-girlfriend, Chrissie Carnell Bixler.

“We want to express our gratitude to the three women who came forward and bravely shared their experiences. Their courage and strength have been an inspiration to us all,” District Attorney Gascón said, according to CNN . “While we are disappointed that the jury did not convict on all counts, we respect their decision.”

The accusations first surfaced March of 2017 when journalist Tony Ortega, who was put in touch with the victims by former Scientologist Leah Remini, broke the story on his Underground Bunker website that the LAPD was investigating Masterson for at least three sexual assaults. One of the victims had reported her case to the LAPD in 2004, a year after it occurred in 2003, but the case was closed because a bunch of Scientologists told police she was lying. However, when Chrissie Carnell Bixler came forward and reported her own case to the LAPD after talking to Remini about it, the other victim decided to ask the LAPD to reopen her case.

“We are aware of [the victim]’s 16-year-old allegations. It was only after [the victim] was in contact with Leah Remini that she made allegations of sexual assault by Mr. Masterson,” Masterson's attorney's said at the time. “The alleged incident occurred in the middle of their six-year relationship, after which she continued to be his longtime girlfriend.”

This would be an entirely reasonable argument if we didn't know that victims who are in relationships with their abusers do, in fact, frequently stay with them.

Since 2017, five women have come forward to accuse Masterson. Three of the five who came forward were also Scientologists at the time Masterson raped them, while two, Bixler and Bobette Riales, were former girlfriends. All five reported being harassed by the Church of Scientology as part of its "Fair Game" policy, which "allows" the church to stalk and harass anyone who disparages the church. One big way to disparage the church, of course, is to accuse one of their big time celebrities of rape.

Remini posted her reaction to the verdict on her Instagram , noting that although the jury did not convict Masterson for raping her, that Bixler's willingness to come forward and her testimony at trial were instrumental in him being convicted on the other charges.

The guilty verdicts in the rape trial of celebrity Scientologist Danny Masterson are a relief. The women who survived Danny Masterson's predation are heroes. For years, they and their families have faced attacks and harassment from Scientology and Danny's well-funded legal team. Nevertheless, they soldiered on, determined to seek justice. While it is up to them to decide whether they are satisfied with this verdict, I am relieved that Danny Masterson is facing some justice after over 20 years of brutal sexual violence with no criminal consequences. To Chrissie Bixler, whose count ended in a hung jury, I know Danny raped you; I know that Scientology tried to destroy you. However, this case would not have moved forward and resulted in two guilty verdicts if it were not for you. I am sorry you didn't receive a guilty verdict on your charges; you deserved one. But please never forget that justice would not have been served were it not for you. Although Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, were not formal defendants, they played a significant role in obstructing justice in this case and other instances of sexual violence. Scientology officials, civilian Scientologists, and their proxies have conspired to silence victims and intimidate witnesses for decades. This case is just the beginning of our plan to hold them accountable. I speak only for myself when I want to thank LA Deputy DA Reinhold Mueller, LA Deputy DA Ariel Anson, and their staff for their relentless pursuit of justice for the last six years. I want to thank Judge Charlaine Olmedo for her professionalism and not allowing Scientology's antics to disrupt this trial. While I often issue harsh statements against the LAPD, I want to thank the LAPD detectives in this case. They faced relentless harassment from Scientology as well and kept moving forward. Finally, to the jury, thank you for seeing the truth. Thank you for not allowing emotions to get in the way of cold hard facts. Thank you for showing Scientologists (former and current) that justice is not only possible, but that they should come to expect it. And thank you to all of you who have supported the women who faced hell to fight for justice.

The verdict came as a disappointment to the relatives of several talented people, as Masterson's wife Bijou Phillips openly sobbed in court and Billy Baldwin, Masterson's brother-in-law, joined other family members in standing around in a state of shock afterwards.

While a sentencing hearing has not been set, Masterson faces up to 30 years in prison, 15 for each count.

This is a pretty big deal given that, despite how many people have come forward with accusations of sexual assault against Hollywood celebrities, relatively few have actually been convicted, or even tried or even charged. It's an even bigger deal given that the Church of Scientology is involved, because they really do have an incredible amount of power in Hollywood. Indeed, Bixler testified that she believed that the LAPD was purposely not moving forward with the charges against Masterson because they were in cahoots with the CoS.

"The Hollywood Division, they have Scientology kiosks in their waiting room, and they take money from Scientology," Bixler told the jury during the trial.

This is not the end of the road for Masterson's accusers, who also have also filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology for all of the stalking and harassment they were put through. The Church tried to get the Supreme Court to toss the case on the grounds that three of them had previously been Scientologists and had signed contracts agreeing to private religious arbitration in such matters, but SCOTUS decided that the case could proceed because none of them were Scientologists anymore. Apparently, billion-year contracts just don't hold up in court.

Among other things, Bixler in particular has accused the church of stalking her, tapping her phone lines and sending her insane messages from an "Operating Thetan" account.

Via ABC 7:  

I got a message from some account "Operating Thetans" saying, 'We have a list of your crimes and we're going to expose you,'" Chrissie recounted for the jury.

She said someone also sent her a photo posted online of a woman's bottom with her contact information on it, saying that she wanted anal sex.

The Church of Scientology has denied the allegations saying, "There is zero truth to any of the testimony that the Church has harassed or stalked the Jane Does."

That might fly if it didn't sound exactly like every other horrible thing the Church of Scientology has been accused of doing to people, with the notable exception that they did not try to throw her off a boat in the middle of the ocean.

Bixler's husband, Cedric Bixler-Zavala of Mars Volta and At The Drive-In, has also accused the Church of Scientology of poisoning and killing his dog. 

We live in a world where it does frequently seem like a lot of people are above the law, and that our criminal justice system is largely designed to protect the rich rather than ever hold them accountable for anything — well, no, it doesn't just seem like that, it is like that. It is literally exactly like that. This is why, much like Leah Remini, I don't have an easy time saying anything complimentary about prosecutors or cops. But every once in a while, someone with power does get held accountable for their actions, and that is pretty nice.

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