The California court of appeal on Tuesday issued an 89-page ruling denying Masterson's appeal, finding that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F Olmedo showed "no animus or departure from neutrality regarding Scientology" during the trial. Masterson, best known for his role on That '70s Show, was convicted in 2023 of two counts of rape against two women in 2003. A third charge relating to a third plaintiff was quashed.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Masterson, a prominent Scientologist, had used his role in the church to avoid accountability for the assaults. All three plaintiffs were also members of the church at the time. Prosecutors said the women delayed reporting due to fear of violating a Scientology rule against going to the police and being retaliated against. Two accusers testified that when they reported Masterson to church officials, they were told they were not raped, were put through "ethics programs" likened to repeated interrogations, and were warned against going to police. One woman said she was shunned for doing so.
Masterson's appeal questioned the plaintiffs' credibility and claimed the judge was biased against Scientology, in part because she allowed former Scientologist Claire Headley to testify as an expert on church beliefs and practices. Headley told the court the church regards going to law enforcement as a "suppressive act" punishable by excommunication. The appeals panel wrote that admitting Scientology evidence "did not contravene the First Amendment." They also rejected arguments about the statute of limitations and evidentiary rulings.
Masterson's lawyers, Cliff Gardner and Eric Multhaup, called the ruling an "unfortunate decision" and said they would appeal to the California Supreme Court. The Church of Scientology, which after Masterson's conviction called the testimony about its beliefs "uniformly false," maintains it has no policy discouraging members from reporting crimes.