After being accused of rape several years ago by multiple women, That ‘70s Show alum Danny Masterson is now preparing to head to trial. As Masterson’As the case unfolds, the Church of Scientology is also facing legal challenges as a result of the actor’s situation. The actor’s four accusers sued the organization for allegedly launching a “vicious campaign of harassment against them”After they filed claims against Masterson, a well-known scientologist. The church is now trying to stop the case moving forward with a legal tactic that they have tried twice before.
The Church of Scientology petitioned this week the U.S. Supreme Court, asking for an enforcement of a religious arbitration that would prohibit the four women from suing the court. Deadline. The church previously tried this same legal method only to have it fail within both a California appeals court and the state’s supreme court. The CoS argues that the appellate court’s ruling should be overturned because its first amendment rights are being violated:
The Respondents, as a condition for joining Petitioners’ church, repeatedly and expressly agreed to religious arbitration of any disputes between them and Petitioners, regardless of when those disputes arose. This agreement to submit any disputes to religious arbitration is not an anomaly. American courts have recognized for many years the right of religious institutions, to use dispute resolution processes derived from their scriptures and foundational beliefs. Secular courts have placed agreements to submit disputes to religious arbitration on equal footing with agreements calling for secular arbitration – and declined invitations to discriminate against religious arbitration just because it is religious.
The petition also argues that through its ruling, California’s Second Appellate Court sought to “weaponize the First Amendment against religious freedom.” In the church’s opinion, the First Amendment “requires limitations applicable only to religious — and not to secular — arbitration agreements.”
This January, the California Appellate Court ruled that the four former scientologists who were accused of the accusations were not bound by such a thing. Because each of the four plaintiffs have since left, this was the result. The group sued the church and Danny Masterson
After making the rape accusations against the sitcom vet, they claimed to have been harassed and intimidated by the church in 2019. They’ve accused the church of stalking them and issuing death threats, among other things.Danny Masterson was subject to investigationThe alleged assaults were committed in 2016 and 2017. The women claimed that the purported incidents occurred at the star’s home in 2001 and 2003. Masterson was fired from Netflix’s The RanchAs a result of the claims, 2017 and 2020 She was charged with raping multiple females. One Jen B., plaintiff, testifiedDuring a preliminary hearing, Masterson detailed an encounter with her during which he allegedly assaulted and threatened her using a gun. Masterson, 45 years old, denies the allegations.
The actor has been released on $3.3 million bail as of writing and will be appearing in court this fall. He could be sentenced to a maximum of 45 years in prison if he is found guilty. It remains to be seen just how things play out in that situation, as is also the case with the Church of Scientology’s latest move. It’s currently unclear as to when SCOTUS might deliver a decision on that matter.