Danny Masterson Files Petition to Challenge Assault Convictions

Danny Masterson, the former "That '70s Show" actor serving a 30-year-to-life prison sentence for sexually assaulting two women in the early 2000s, has filed a petition challenging his 2023 convictions, alleging ineffective assistance from his trial attorney and bias in the police investigation.

The 183-page habeas corpus petition, submitted to the California Court of Appeal on Sunday and made public Monday, accuses defense lawyer Philip Cohen of failing to present key evidence and witnesses that could have undermined the accusers' credibility. Masterson, 49, is incarcerated at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo. The filing seeks to vacate the convictions and remand the case to Los Angeles Superior Court for an evidentiary hearing before a different judge.

Masterson was convicted in May 2023 of two counts of forcible rape following a retrial. The incidents occurred at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003, involving women he met through the Church of Scientology, of which he is a member. Prosecutors alleged Masterson drugged the women and assaulted them, with the victims testifying that church policies discouraged them from reporting the crimes for years due...