California appeals court upholds Danny Masterson's rape convictions and 30-year sentence

A three-judge panel of California's 2nd District Court of Appeal on Tuesday upheld actor Danny Masterson's 2023 rape convictions and his 30-year prison sentence, rejecting his bid to overturn them. In an 89-page ruling, the panel unanimously found he had not shown error, and said statements by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo showed no animus or departure from neutrality toward Scientology. Masterson, known for "That '70s Show," was convicted of two counts of raping two women in 2003. A third charge, involving a woman who alleged a 2001 assault, was quashed. He has said sex with all three women was consensual. His December appeal questioned the accusers' credibility and argued the judge was biased against Scientology. Prosecutors argued at trial that he used his standing in the church, to which all three women belonged, to avoid accountability, and that the women delayed reporting out of fear of breaking a church rule against going to police. Defense attorney Cliff Gardner said the ruling ignores new evidence, including statements from two complaining witnesses that their encounters were consensual and positive. The defense is seeking California Supreme Court review.

Left-leaning outlets agree on the core facts. The Guardian leads with the bias argument and Scientology context, laying out the prosecution's account and the quashed third charge. The Los Angeles Times leads with the legal blow, saying Masterson stays jailed for at least another decade, and quotes Gardner at length, including his claim that Masterson is serving a life sentence for crimes he did not commit. Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and alternative outlets had. Among alternative sources, AP largely matches the left's factual account, while TMZ stands apart by centering the defense lawyers' attack on the court.