Court upholds Danny Masterson's rape conviction

Danny Masterson's rape conviction has been upheld by a court, according to Deadline. The 89-page ruling rejected his appeal, maintaining the 2023 conviction for two counts of rape. The appellate judges also dismissed claims that Scientology was improperly used against Masterson during the previous trial, stating that the evidence was not an abuse of the trial court's discretion.

Masterson's legal team plans to appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court. The allegations against Masterson emerged in 2017 during probes into alleged misconduct within the Church of Scientology, where his victims were involved and contended that the organization attempted to conceal their stories. After being arrested in 2020, Masterson's first trial in 2022 resulted in a mistrial. He received a 30-year prison sentence in 2023, with eligibility for parole not until 2042.