California Appeals Court Upholds Masterson’s Rape Convictions

A California appeals court has upheld Danny Masterson’s convictions for raping two women and his sentence of 30 years to life, rejecting his challenges to the trial, including claims of judicial bias and improper use of evidence about Scientology. The three-judge panel of the Second Appellate District issued an 89-page opinion affirming the judgment. It found that Masterson had not shown errors warranting a new trial and rejected his separate claim that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. The ruling leaves the convictions and sentence in place. Masterson’s lawyers said they would ask the California Supreme Court to review the decision and continue pursuing habeas corpus relief. They have argued that evidence they describe as exculpatory was not presented to the jury. His attorneys allege that the two women whose accusations resulted in convictions had described their encounters with him as consensual. The appellate panel rejected his appeal and separate habeas petition; the claims about those alleged statements come from his lawyers. The appeal challenged the trial court’s handling of evidence concerning the Church of Scientology, of which Masterson and the women...