A woman who claimed “That 1970s Show” actor Danny Masterson of raping her back in April 2003 told her lawyer on Friday that she is afraid of retaliation by The Church of Scientology for apologizing against him.
The woman who prefers to be known by the name of Jane Doe #1, told the jury that she is worried that the church might be able to pursue their three sons. She also said that she brought a suit in 2019 against Masterson as well as the Church in the year 2019 in order in order to “sue in the name of peace.”
“It’s all they have to get them to end their escapades,” she said. “You need to sue to obtain peace. That’s the law.”
Masterson who is a lifelong Scientologist is currently on trial at trial in Los Angeles for three alleged forcible rapes that occurred between 2001 and 2003. Jane Doe #1, who was a Scientologist at the time of the alleged assault, stated that she was afraid of being banned from reporting Masterson to the police.
She claimed on Friday that she omitted some details when she first reported to police in 2004 as she was concerned about protecting both the members and leaders such as the church’s David Miscavige, the church’s leader, as well as Susan Watson, the president of the church’s Celebrity Centre International.
“I believed that maybe I wouldn’t get into trouble for speaking to authorities,” she added. “Maybe they’d be able to listen and do the right thing and I wouldn’t upset people off on the highest level and the level of their leader. I thought I could make a report of the crime and protect the family I have and also my own life.”
Philip Cohen, Masterson’s attorney was the attorney for Masterson. He concluded his cross-examination Friday morning. He continued to examine contradictions between the first police report and her declarations to law enforcement following the investigation was revived in the year 2016.
He was particularly focused on her assertion that Masterson was seen with an assault weapon in the course of the supposed rape. This was an aspect that was not mentioned in the initial report. In one instance she was asked to stand up and show the jury exactly how Masterson stood with the weapon. She claimed that Masterson pulled it from the nightstand and then held it in a position on top of her.
In the midst of a break in testimony during the break, judge Charlaine Olmedo took a harsh stance against Cohen for the manner in which he asked Cohen’s questions, claiming that he was “incredibly ignorant.”
“I’m not sure if that’s the persona you’d like to show to this juror,” Olmedo said.
Cohen is seeking to minimize any reference to Scientology and didn’t ask any questions on the subject during two days of interrogation. Cohen also protested at the time Reinhold Mueller, who is the principal prosecutor was asked by Jane Doe 1 if she believed that her choice leaves Scientology and caused her to reconsider her views about whether her initial relationship with Masterson in September 2002 was consensual.
Jane Doe #1 had testified in a hearing preliminary to last year, that it said “I have not been told how to interpret the events that happened in my life by Scientology. Church of Scientology.”
During the interval, Olmedo admonished Cohen for having raised the issue and reiterated her pretrial decision, which permitted the discussion of Scientology for certain reasons.
“I will not kick Scientology out of the picture,” she said, she compared Cohen to the “vexatious litigant” regarding the matter.
Olmedo is now angry with both sides of the argument as she attempts to uphold her ruling regarding the admissibility of Scientology evidence. On Tuesday she was scolded by Mueller in the courtroom for “inundating” the court with irrelevant evidence related to the church’s beliefs and practices.
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