Danny Masterson is an actor most well-known for his role in the sitcom That ’70s Show. He has been charged with assaulting three women.
One of the women, who is the first to give evidence during his Los Angeles trial, said that she woke up from unconsciousness to find him assaulting her. The other two women said that he assaulted them while they were unconscious as well. Masterson has refuted all the allegations.
On Wednesday, a woman cried while testifying vividly about a night in 2003 when she claimed to have awakened from unconsciousness to discover actor Danny Masterson assaulting her.
She is the first of three women to testify against Masterson in his Los Angeles trial. They all claim that he assaulted them. She claimed that she attempted to pull Masterson away at one point by grabbing his hair, but he pushed a pillow in her face instead.
Later, she claimed, she tried to push him away by grabbing his throat, but he held her down and choked her. She claimed that when there was a commotion and voices at the door, Masterson took a revolver from a drawer in his bedside table and told her to keep quiet.
She claimed that even though she only drank about half of the fruity vodka cocktail that Masterson had given her, she was in and out of awareness for the entire night.
The woman, who was in her early 20s at the time of the alleged incidents, testified that Masterson assaulted her twice after they had been dating for about six months.
The first time, she said, was after she passed out following a night of heavy drinking and awoke to find him having sex with her. The second time, she testified, was after she told him she wasn’t interested in having sex and he pinned her down on a bed and assaulted her.
The woman also testified that Masterson had once pushed her down a flight of stairs after an argument. She said she didn’t report the assaults to the police at the time because she feared Masterson’s power and influence.
She only came forward years later, after reading media reports about other women who had accused Masterson of assaulting. The trial is expected to last several weeks. If convicted, Masterson faces up to 45 years in prison.
What Are the Charges Against Masterson?
The three women were reportedly assaulted by Masterson, 46, between 2001 and 2003 in his house. back then. He has entered a not-guilty plea to all three assault charges.
A former defense attorney for Masterson alleged that each of the three women had misrepresented consenting sexual activity as assault.
Masterson, who was dressed in a suit and sat at the defense table, glanced her way as she gave her testimony but showed no sign of emotion.
His wife, actor, and model Bijou Phillips sat behind him at the front of the gallery, along with several of his family members and friends.
All three of Masterson’s accusers have since left the Church of Scientology, but they were all members there when they alleged to have been sexually assaulted. Masterson is still a participant.
She testified that she had only planned to spend a short time at Masterson’s house, which served as the gathering place for their group of friends.
After getting in touch with one of the other women who will give testimony, she returned to the police late in 2016.
A number of cases with #MeToo elements are currently taking place coast to coast, including Masterson’s.
They include the nearby second assault and sexual assault trial for Harvey Weinstein as well as the civil court cases in New York for the accused sexual assault defendants Paul Haggis and screenwriter Kevin Spacey.
