Another Scientology Blow: Danny Masterson Judge Rules Two of Actor's Lawyers Leaked Victims' Emails to Church
The Church of Scientology faced another blow after its longtime member Danny Masterson was found guilty two counts of rape. Judge Olmedo ruled that two of the That '70s Show alum's lawyers, Thomas Mesereau and Sharon Appelbaum, leaked redacted discovery material in the case — including victims' emails with police — to Scientology, RadarOnline.com has learned.
"The court finds that the words used by the court repeatedly constituted an order and the defense violated that order, and the attorneys who violated that were Mr. Mesereau and Ms. Appelbaum," Judge Olmedo said while revealing his ruling on Wednesday.
"We base that on Mr. Cohen denied sharing it and didn't know how Ms. Podberesky obtained it. Ms. Holley said it was a previous team, Ms. Goldstein didn't have knowledge of it. Mr. Mueller said he shared the info with Mr. Mesereau and Ms. Appelbaum so the court find circumstantial evidence that they shared the material and will make sanctions."
According to The Underground Bunker, which first broke the news, Mesereau and Appelbaum have been ordered to pay $950 each in sanctions.
During Masterson's rape retrial, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller informed the judge that he believed sensitive information had fallen into the hands of Vicki Podberesky, who has been longtime associated as a lawyer for the religious group.
"There was an email that was sent from Vicki Podberesky on May 2, 2023, to our assistant DA James Garrison as well as our bureau director, and the subject is listed as 'False reports of stalking by the Church of Scientology,'" Mueller told the court last month before Masterson's guilty verdict.
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- Danny Masterson Found Guilty of Two Counts of Rape, Faces Life in Prison
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"In the email, Ms. Podberesky indicates that during the retrial, DDA Mueller asked questions to Jane Doe 3 that were intended to elicit answers he knew to be false. That the witnesses have filed dozens of reports claiming that the church has stalked them. That Podberesky met with LAPD Chief Moore and filed on behalf of the Church of Scientology a series of complaints with the LAPD, specifically that Det Vargas has left open numerous and false reports by the witnesses. Not one of the reports has turned out to be true, and that Mueller knows there is no merit to the reports," Mueller claimed.
The D.A. alleged that Podberesky's email allegedly included links to several disturbing files.
"In the attachments, I don't want to say all of our discover, but a large amount of our discover was attached to these files. Emails between law enforcement and victims. Text messages. Police reports. Photos. We weren't able to get through all the attachments, but it's extremely troubling that all of our redacted discovery we turned over to the defense is now in the hands of Scientology," Mueller said.
When Judge Olmedo asked Masterson's defense attorney, Philip Cohen, if he had been "sharing discovery with the Church of Scientology," he denied the accusations.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Masterson was found guilty on two counts of rape on Wednesday, May 31, despite being initially been charged with three counts.
The actor faces anywhere from 30 years to life in prison. Masterson sentencing is set to take place in August.
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