A Year and a Half After Conviction, Danny Masterson’s Lawyers File Appeal for 30-Year Sentence
Danny Masterson’s lawyers have filed an appeal for his 30-year sentence, claiming that he was not given a fair trial. The appeal, which is 244 pages long, argues that the trial was marred by alleged judicial error, “falsified” testimony from the prosecution’s witnesses, and the inclusion of Scientology doctrine as relevant to Masterson’s actions before, during, and after the alleged sexual assaults.
The appeal also claims that the prosecution’s witnesses, who are also suing Masterson in a civil case, had a “financial stake” in the outcome of the trial. According to the appeal, the witnesses had a pending civil lawsuit against Masterson for harassment, and they amended their lawsuit to seek damages for rape after Masterson was convicted in 2022.
Masterson’s lawyers argue that the trial court should have excluded evidence of the civil lawsuit and the potential financial motivations of the witnesses. However, the appeal states that the court’s ruling is “irreconcilable” with California law, which recognizes that a witness’s financial stake in the outcome of a trial is relevant to their credibility.
Masterson is currently serving his sentence at a medium and minimum-security facility in California. His lawyers plan to file a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which would also challenge the trial process. The Church of Scientology, of which Masterson is a member, has been linked to the case, with some of the witnesses accusing the church of harassment and cover-ups.
The appeal is the latest development in Masterson’s legal saga, which has been ongoing for over a decade. He was convicted in 2022 of three counts of rape and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.