Sex Predator Danny Masterson's Second Rape Trial Hit By Fears Over 'Repeated Contacts of Jurors by Actor's Legal Team'
Danny Masterson's second rape trial has been hit with concern over repeated contacts of juror's by his legal team.
Nov. 19 2024, Published 4:45 p.m. ET
Judge Charlaine Olmedo and the L.A. District Attorney’s Office have expressed concern over "repeated contact" between members of Danny Masterson's legal team and jurors in his second trial.
Last week, the District Attorney’s office filed a motion calling for an evidentiary hearing to get the details on what the defense team has been up to following the reports of unwanted outreach, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Judge Olmedo and the D.A.'s office are concerned about members of Masterson's legal team 'repeatedly contacting' multiple jurors.
Masterson, convicted of two counts of forcible rape in May 2023, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison in September.
Before sentencing, multiple jurors reported several instances of contact, including one who was approached by defense attorney Shawn Holley in July 2023.
The 'That 70's Show' actor was convicted of two counts of forcible rape and sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.
She was confused about whether she could talk to Holley and didn’t understand how Holley had figured out who she was, asking: "I was wondering how did she know my name and workplace information in order to get in contact with me?"
Then in July of this year, the court received an email from another juror stating: "Some of the jurors have been visited at their homes by Danny Masterson's Appeal team. We thought our information was going to be sealed.
"We are concerned."
On September 16, Judge Olmedo was sent a longer email explaining one troubling contact claiming to be Alternate Juror No. 8 on the second Masterson trial.
They claimed at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 15, 2024, they were contacted at their home by a representative of Masterson's legal team.
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One juror claimed they were contacted at their home by a representative of Masterson's legal team.
The contact wrote in the letter: "I declined to speak with her and asked her how she got my name. She said she got it from another juror and said, 'So you decline to participate?'
"I told her I was declining and that I would be letting the juror know of this because juror information is confidential and there should be no contact with me by Mr. Masterson's legal team."
The letter continued: "So I wanted to bring to your attention that a juror has given Mr. Masterson's legal team my name and phone number without my permission, and, as a result, I was contacted in person by a member of Mr. Masterson's legal team at my home on a Sunday afternoon."
In response, Judge Olmedo ordered that any future contact with jurors must go through the court, and the D.A.’s office has filed a motion for a hearing to investigate the matter and potentially impose sanctions.
Masterson was hit with allegations by three women accusing him of sexual assault in the early 2000s.
Masterson's appeal brief is due this week, following a request from appellate lawyer Cliff Gardner for an extension – which was granted until November 22.
The actor was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after being hit with allegations by three women who accused him of sexual assault in the early 2000s.
The women, who were all members of the Church of Scientology, claimed Masterson assaulted them at his home in Los Angeles after allegedly drugging them.
The incidents occurred while Masterson was a prominent actor on the TV show That '70s Show.
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