Danny Masterson Petitions to Overturn Rape Convictions

Danny Masterson, the former star of the sitcom That 70s Show, has filed a petition seeking to overturn his 2023 convictions on two counts of forcible rape and to vacate his 30-year-to-life prison sentence. The filing, submitted Monday to California's 2nd District Court of Appeal, alleges ineffective assistance from his trial attorney and judicial bias during the retrial in Los Angeles.

Masterson, 49, was convicted in May 2023 of raping two women at his Hollywood Hills home in separate incidents in 2003. He is serving his sentence at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo and will not be eligible for parole consideration for at least 20 years. The jury deadlocked on a third count involving another accuser, Masterson's former longtime girlfriend. All three women were members of the Church of Scientology at the time of the alleged assaults, as was Masterson, and they testified that church practices delayed their reports to authorities.

The 183-page habeas corpus petition, filed by attorney Eric Multhaup, claims that lead defense counsel Philip Cohen failed to present substantial exculpatory evidence and call key witnesses, violating Masterson's constitutional rights to...