‘That ’70s Show’ Actor Danny Masterson Charged With Raping 3 Women

[Necro]

Masterson was accused of raping three women between 2001 and 2003, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said.


The actor Danny Masterson, known for his roles in the sitcoms “That ’70s Show” and “The Ranch,” has been charged with raping three women in the early 2000s, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said on Wednesday.

Masterson is accused of raping a 23-year-old woman whom he had invited to his home in Hollywood Hills some time between October and December of 2003, the district attorney’s office said in a news release. He is also accused of raping a 28-year-old woman that same year as well as a 23-year-old woman in 2001. All of the allegations of rape occurred in the actor’s home, the news release said.

Masterson, 44, was charged with three counts of rape by force or fear, and faces a maximum sentence of 45 years to life in prison if convicted.

The actor played Steven Hyde in “That ’70s Show” between 1998 and 2006 and starred in the Netflix comedy “The Ranch” before he was fired in 2017.

In a statement, Masterson’s lawyer, Tom Mesereau, said that the actor is innocent and that Masterson and his wife are in “complete shock” that the “nearly 20-year-old allegations” have resulted in charges.

“The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false,” the statement said.

The district attorney’s office said that it had declined to file separate sexual assault charges against Masterson in two other cases because, in one instance, there was insufficient evidence and, in another, because of the statute of limitations.

Masterson was arrested on Wednesday morning and was later released on statutory bail, his lawyer said. His bail was set at $3.3 million, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and his arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 18.

In 2017, after Netflix fired Masterson from “The Ranch” amid allegations that he had raped four women, the actor responded that “law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit.”

This has been known for some time, something must have happened for these charges to be brought. I find it disturbing that part of the response is it was 20 years ago. Umm ya so?

 

[Chris]

Can I blame Scientology for this or is that too much of a conspiracy theory?

 

[Hidden Blaze]

Makes me very sad.

I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt but seems more likely he did in fact do these things.

 

[Hoss]

Time's Up again bitches.

 

[Lady Redfield]

I’m gonna reserve any judgement on him until the facts come out....that’s some serious shit, his career is already over, imagine if all of it is for nothing....if he did it, he’s definitely a piece of shit, though.

As for the 20 years comment....ehhhhh, I can see where it comes from. That’s a long time to wait to suddenly accuse somebody. Not saying it didn’t happen, I just think that’s a crazy amount of time to wake up one day and accuse someone.

 

[Chris]

I’m gonna reserve any judgement on him until the facts come out....that’s some serious shit, his career is already over, imagine if all of it is for nothing....if he did it, he’s definitely a piece of shit, though.

As for the 20 years comment....ehhhhh, I can see where it comes from. That’s a long time to wait to suddenly accuse somebody. Not saying it didn’t happen, I just think that’s a crazy amount of time to wake up one day and accuse someone.

They came out over 15 years ago and officers investigated then. The conspiracy I've always heard is that due to his Scientology connections, the officers said the accusations have no merit. And from what I've seen from Scientology, that doesn't seem like a huge leap. Still a conspiracy until I see more proof though. But it's not a case of "Oh I got raped 20 years ago, I should finally tell someone"

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Wait, Hyde?

Come on, man...

 

[Apoho Creed]

When people want to talk about damn this was many moons ago yeah, but look at Bill Cosby who had been abusing and taking advantage of Women many decades ago and those ladies got justice. If Danny did this truly lock him up and throw away the key.

 

[Deezy]

Wasn't this guy punching women in the face while he was banging?

Forceful rape doesn't seem that far off.

Dah well......can't run an Hyde from this