Scientology Desperately Tries to Intervene to Help Free Jailed Sex Predator Danny Masterson
The Church of Scientology is reportedly attempting to help Danny Masterson’s attempt to overturn his rape conviction.
Dec. 6 2025, Published 2:45 p.m. ET
The Church of Scientology has made an aggressive and highly visible attempt to intervene in Danny Masterson's ongoing appeal, marking its strongest show of support yet for the disgraced actor who is serving 30 years to life in prison for two counts of forcible rape, RadarOnline.com can report.
The Church of Scientology
The church's brief argues Masterson is in prison because of 'religious rights violations'.
According to the docket at the 2nd Appellate District state court of appeals in Los Angeles, obtained by Rob Shuter and shared on his Substack, Scientology has filed an amicus curiae brief — a "friend of the court" letter — backing Masterson's argument that his conviction stemmed from "religious rights violations".
The docket further indicates that fourteen additional parties have asked to join the church's letter, underscoring a coordinated effort to influence the appellate panel.
This filing represents the clearest confirmation to date that the church has not distanced itself from Masterson, despite widespread tabloid claims that Scientology had declared him a "suppressive person", the organization's form of excommunication. Those reports, long questioned by observers, now appear incompatible with the church's legal push on Masterson's behalf.
As the document notes, "This is the most definitive evidence yet that Scientology has not dropped its support of the That '70s Show actor and that it has not 'declared' him a 'suppressive person.'"
Masterson Behind Bars
Fourteen additional parties have asked to join Scientology’s amicus filing.
Masterson was convicted on May 31, 2023, and sentenced in September of that year.
The actor's appellate attorney, Cliff Gardner, is seeking to overturn the conviction, arguing that his client's constitutional rights were violated when the trial court allowed extensive testimony about Scientology during the second trial.
Prosecutors argued the testimony was essential to explaining why the Jane Doe victims delayed reporting, citing their fears of retaliation under church policy.
Judge Charlaine Olmedo permitted jurors to hear this evidence, concluding that Scientology's internal rules were directly relevant to the victims' credibility and behavior.
The Appeal
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Masterson was convicted on two counts of forcible rape on May 31, 2023.
"There was substantial testimony about Scientology in the first trial, which ended in a hung jury," the filing notes, but Olmedo allowed the prosecution "more leeway" in the second proceeding and even approved former Scientology executive Claire Headley to testify as an expert witness. Gardner sharply criticized those decisions in his briefs, and now the church is formally joining that attack.
The appeal is fully briefed, with the state attorney general urging the court to keep Masterson imprisoned.
A date for oral arguments has not yet been scheduled. Meanwhile, Scientology says it intends to weigh in further on what it calls violations of Masterson's religious rights.
As the report states, "We have asked the court for a copy of the proposed amicus brief itself, and will post it as soon as we can get it."
The church's intervention signals a high-stakes effort to support one of its celebrity members — even after his conviction as a violent sexual predator — as he seeks a path out of prison.
