LOS ANGELES (KNX) — A judge in Los Angeles on Tuesday rejected a request by actor Danny Masterson to have rape charges against him dismissed.
L.A. County Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen said he determined there was sufficient evidence to allow the case against the former That '70s Show actor to move forward.
Last year, another judge ruled that 45-year-old actor's case should proceed to trial on charges of raping three women in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.
The complaint filed last June alleged that Masterson raped a 23-year-old woman between Jan. and Dec. 2001. He was also charged with raping a 28-year-old and 23-year-old woman he invited to his home sometime between Oct. and Dec. 2003.
The women, along with Masterson, were members of the Church of Scientology. They said they feared reprisals from the church if they came forward with allegations against Masterson at the time the rapes were allegedly committed.
One victim alleged the actor threatened her with a pistol after the alleged assault.
Masterson has insisted the encounters were consensual.
Masterson was arrested in June 2020 by L.A. police. He remains free after putting up $3.3 million in bail. He will return to court in May for a hearing on pretrial motions.
A civil suit filed in Aug. 2019 against Masterson and the Church of Scientology by the three victims and a fourth woman who was not a member of the church alleged they were stalked and harassed after filing assault allegations against the actor.
