California appeals court upholds Danny Masterson's rape convictions

A three-judge panel in California has unanimously upheld Danny Masterson's rape convictions, rejecting every avenue of appeal the actor raised after his 2023 retrial. The 89-page ruling, issued Tuesday, also leaves his sentence of 30 years to life intact.

Masterson was convicted of raping two women at his home in 2003, when he was starring in "That '70s Show." His first trial ended in a deadlocked jury in 2022; the retrial a year later produced convictions. He has been serving his sentence at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo and will not be eligible for parole for more than 20 years.

The appeal tested the machinery that had kept the case dormant for two decades. Masterson's lawyers argued the convictions violated California's 10-year statute of limitations for forcible rape; the panel found the limit does not apply where there are multiple victims. They argued the trial court excluded evidence in Masterson's favor — the panel disagreed. They argued the trial judge exhibited bias against Masterson's religion. And in a separate petition, they argued his own trial counsel had been ineffective. The court rejected each claim, finding Masterson failed to demonstrate errors that would warrant a new trial.

The religious-bias claim carried particular weight in this case, because the Church of Scientology was not a bystander to the allegations — it was the backdrop. Masterson is a prominent member. His accusers are former members who said they grew disillusioned with the church after the assaults. According to their testimony, church officials told them what had happened to them was not rape, and church policies kept them from going to police. The church has vehemently denied having any such policy.

What the panel's decision effectively confirms is that the institutional channels the accusers said failed them in 2003 were not the end of the story. Two trials, one appeals court and 89 pages later, the account of the women who left the church prevailed over the account of the church that stayed. The professional consequences had already run their course years earlier: Masterson was written off the Netflix comedy "The Ranch," where he had reunited with Ashton Kutcher, once the allegations surfaced.

Masterson's attorneys said Tuesday they will seek review at the California Supreme Court. He is 50 years old.