'It's Horrible Timing:' Danny Masterson Demands Criminal Trial Be Delayed Due To Rick Caruso's Anti-Scientology Ads In Race For L.A. Mayor
Oct. 4 2022, Published 10:15 a.m. ET
Danny Masterson asked the court to delay his criminal trial due to an unusual circumstance. The former That '70s Show actor, who is fighting three charges of forcible rape, asked the judge to push his scheduled October 11 trial date because of Rick Caruso's anti-Scientology ads in his race for Los Angeles mayor, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Masterson has been a longtime member of the Church of Scientology. The actor showed up to court with his lawyer, Philip Cohen, on Monday, who argued that the timing of Caruso's commercials is "horrible" for his client. He asked that Masterson's trial be moved until after the election taking place on November 8.
"It's just horrible timing for the defense," Cohen said, insisting that the ads are “inflammatory."
Caruso's ads about the church have been playing on overdrive lately in an attempt to squash his competition, Karen Bass.
The footage shows Bass giving a speech during a Scientology event in 2010. Despite doing the speaking gig more than 10 years ago, Bass has said, "[I] absolutely condemn their practices."
The billionaire businessman's ads end by referring to the church as a "ruthless global scam." Masterson's legal team warned that the footage could prevent the star from getting a fair trial.
“The public is being inundated with this,” Cohen told the judge. “It is a significant problem for Mr. Masterson.”
He also proposed that the word "Scientology" be banned from the trial, suggesting they use other words when talking about the religious organization.
“The word ‘Scientology’ never needs to come up,” Masterson's attorney argued. “If something needs to come up, it can be called ‘the church,’ ‘the organization,’ ‘a club.'”
The lead prosecutor Reinhold Mueller had a rebuttal, telling the judge that all potential jurors with prejudices about Scientology could be weeded out during questioning.
The prosecution also revealed they plan to call former Sea Org official Claire Headley to testify. Headley has been outspoken about her "escape" from the church. Masterson's legal team argued that the ex-church member would be biased if she took the stand, claiming her testimony would turn the case “into a referendum on Scientology.”
As RadarOnline.com reported, the US Supreme Court shut down the church's plea to keep a civil battle with Masterson's accusers out of the public eye on Monday. Scientology had filed a petition begging the Supreme Court to intervene in a California appellate court's decision that said a lawsuit against Masterson and the church would remain in Los Angeles Superior Court and NOT the church's private arbitration.
Four women — and one of their husbands — filed a lawsuit in August 2019, accusing the church of allegedly stalking them, hacking their phones, and even killing their pets after they came forward to the Los Angeles Police Department with allegations against the actor.
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Masterson's lawyers also begged the judge to keep the allegations of harassment out of the star's upcoming trial, arguing the accusations have not been proven. “We are talking about allegedly killing people’s pets,” the attorney stated. “Mr. Masterson cannot receive a fair trial if this evidence comes in.”
Masterson is fighting three charges of forcible rape. If convicted, he faces 45 years to life in prison.
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