It’s only been a few weeks since convicted rapist Danny Masterson, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. It won’t be much longer though until he’s back in court again, alongside Scientology itself. Even though the initial case came down to Masterson’s actions against multiple women, the involvement of the Church of Scientology added a terrifying layer of harassment to what the victims went through. Those actions have not been forgotten and a day in court has been set for that as well.
This civil case against Masterson and the Church of Scientology has been pending since 2019, filed by three “Jane Does,” and has been stayed for some time while Masterson’s criminal trial took place. It’s alleged by the three women that the Church participated in threatening and harassing behavior, including placing them under surveillance after the women went to the LAPD with their accusations against Masterson. Perhaps even more disturbingly, the women also state that their pets were killed, presumably to keep them quiet regarding the accusations.
The Church of Scientology had tried to keep this case from the public since it was initially filed, but that request was ultimately denied by the court of appeals in early 2022. Since then, the information became public but a stay on a trial date had still remained in effect. The church would still like to have that stay in place, but Judge Upinder Kalra lifted that stay on September 26th, 2023. Unfortunately, sometimes the wheels of justice turn slowly, and it’s going to be a while before Masterson and the Church of Scientology have their day in court.
The trial date for the harassment case won’t take place until September 22, 2025; two years from the time of this writing. To be fair, this isn’t entirely out of the ordinary by any means; it just flies in the face of what many people would expect from legal dramas. In the meantime, the victims have at least been able to see Masterson put behind bars, and it’s not like this has done any publicity favors for Scientology either. As always, we hope that justice is found fairly and swiftly.
