Testimony continued this week in the Los Angeles rape trial of “That ‘70s Show” star Danny Masterson as the Church of Scientology ran a new advertisement during the Lakers’Season opener.
Masterson is well-known Scientologist. So are all three women who accuse Masterson of raping and threatening them in the early 2000s.
“Whatever you have heard, if you haven’t heard it from us, I can assure you, we are not what you expect,”The commercial features David Miscavige, Scientology leader.
Attorney Brian Claypool says the timing of the ad at the start of Masterson’s trial is “no coincidence.”
One of the accusers said that Masterson tried buying her silence by getting to her sign a $400,000 agreement. She said she was forced to sign the agreement or she would be excommunicated from Scientology.
According to a Scientology spokesperson, “The Church has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of Scientologists, or of anyone, to law enforcement.”
Earlier this month, Masterson’s attorney asked for the trial to be delayed until after the mayoral election in Los Angeles, after candidate Rick Caruso ran a negative ad showing challenger Karen Bass speaking highly of Scientology during a speech in 2010.
Bass said that she now “absolutely condemn(s) their practices.”
Masterson has pleaded innocent and says the sex was consensual.
A Scientology spokesperson told Inside Edition it would be inappropriate for them to comment on Masterson’s case, because, they say, the Church is not involved. They also declined to comment on the Los Angeles mayoral race, saying they don’t get involved in politics in any way.