Former That 70s Show star Danny Masterson was found guilty of rape yesterday. The Los Angeles jury convicted the forty-seven-year-old actor on two counts of rape, while the last count resulted in a hung jury. He could face between thirty years to life for the sexual assaults that took place in the early 2000s. The guilty verdict has generated a lot of statements from those involved, but few are getting as much traction as the one from Leah Remini, who was a regular presence in court.
The noted actress has been an outspoken critic of Scientology. She left the Church back in 2013, and in the time since, she’s produced documentaries, TV shows and a podcast criticizing the Church for a variety of issues. Masterson is a Scientologist and he was also sued alongside the Church for allegedly harassing and intimidating the women making the allegations. At one point, the Church was even accused of murdering two dogs one of the women had.
After the verdict was read, Remini took to social media to drop an extended statement calling the guilty verdicts “a relief.” She said the women “faced vicious attacks and harassment from Scientology” and claimed the Church played a significant role in “obstructing justice.” You can read a portion of the statement below…
Although Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, were not formal defendants, they played a significant role in obstructing justice in this case and other instances of sexual violence. Senior Scientology officials, civilian Scientologists, and their proxies have conspired to silence victims and intimidate witnesses for decades. This case is just the beginning of our plan to hold them accountable.
Remini also spoke directly to the women at the heart of the trial. She called them “heroes” and said the accuser who didn’t get a guilty verdict was still responsible for helping bring “justice” to Masterson. She also thanked those involved in the trial, as well as the LAPD for continuing to investigate despite “relentless harassment” from Scientologists.
You can read the entirety of Remini’s long statement below…
Exactly what Remini's plan to bring the Church to justice for its alleged crimes are, but at this point, it's pretty clear she's going to keep trying. She's seemingly made it her life's work to call out Scientology and its senior members for perceived wrongdoing. She even filed a police report claiming leader David Miscavige's wife was missing, as the two were previously friends and she has disappeared from the public eye.
Masterson is currently in custody and is due back in court on August 4th for a hearing. It'll be the next step in a legal process that has lasted almost twenty years. The assaults allegedy took place between 2001 and 2003. One of the accusers originally went to police in 2004 but no charges were filed. Later, the three women found each other and all went to the police together. Police reinvestigated and Masterson was charged back in 2020. A trial happened late last year. The case resulted in a hung jury, but prosecutors ultimately elected to retry Masterson and were able to secure a guilty verdict the second time around.
