US Justice
Trial against Danny Masterson is reopened
Danny Masterson at a benefit event in Los Angeles. The US actor is back in court on rape allegations. photo
© Annie I. Bang/Invision via AP/dpa
Because the jury couldn’t agree on a verdict recently, the US actor has to answer to the court again. The allegations: abuse and rape. Masterson denies that.
The American actor Danny Masterson (47, “That 70’s Show”) is back in court on rape allegations. With the selection of jurors, the case was reopened on Monday in Los Angeles. A jury team is to be selected this week from a pool of possible candidates, report journalists present at the court.
The previous criminal trial against Masterson had ended inconclusively in November. The twelve jurors could not agree on a unanimous verdict after a trial lasting several weeks. The responsible judge then declared a so-called mistrial (“Mistrial”). The prosecution is now bringing the case back to court.
Three women accuse the actor of abuse and rape. The alleged incidents are said to have happened in 2001 and 2003 at Masterson’s Hollywood home. He has denied the allegations. All sexual acts were consensual, the actor explained. If found guilty, Masterson faces a long prison sentence. The actor did not testify himself in the first trial.
Masterson has been married to actress Bijou Phillips since 2011. The couple have a daughter. The actor became known with the comedy series “That 70 Years Show”, in which he played Steven Hyde from 1998 to 2006, who always wore sunglasses.