Danny Masterson is arguing that rape convictions were not adequately represented

Danny Masterson’s rape case now has a fresh defense: His attorney.

After being found guilty of raping two women in 2023, the disgraced actor has criticized the lawyer who represented him in that case. He claimed that if the attorney had performed his duties properly, he would never have received his 30-year prison term.

In 2017, Danny Masterson’s decline into disrepute started when three women accused him of sexual assault. Additional victims came forward that year, and the “That ’70s Show” was the target of a legal action. The case continued for years, culminating in a guilty conviction following a retrial in 2023.

Danny Masterson Slams Lawyer for Not Establishing His Innocence

Masterson reportedly accused his lawyer of inadequate representation in court documents he submitted on Monday. By disregarding his counsel and several possible witnesses, he blamed Philip Cohen for not establishing his innocence.

Masterson clarified that Cohen was not intended to be the lead lawyer on his case, but filling in when his previous lead lawyer was unable to do so because of scheduling difficulties. He portrayed Cohen as obstinate, saying he didn’t pay attention to what other people had to say.

With two out of twenty people he spoke to, the imprisoned actor accused Cohen of excluding possible witnesses from his case. Cohen disregarded Masterson’s cries that these witnesses were essential to establishing his innocence, according to TMZ.

Key evidence was not presented in the case, according to the convicted actor.

Masterson persisted in criticizing his lawyer, accusing Cohen of disregarding witnesses and denying a Scientologist the opportunity to testify. Prosecutors in the criminal rape case had maintained that victims usually feared reprisals if they reported prominent church members to the authorities.

According to Masterson’s statements in the documents, Cohen was encouraged by the Church of Scientology to allow a Scientologist to testify in order to deny these allegations. But neither did the lawyer dispute the prosecutor’s assertions on Scientology, nor did he think it was necessary.

Rather than focusing on the case, Cohen asked why Scientology was being used, which was a poor argument in Masterson’s book. That being said, he hinted that if Cohen had performed his duties properly, the jury would have been more inclined to find him not guilty.

“The jury saw only the tip of the iceberg of available defense evidence in the form of the complaining witnesses’ inconsistent statements while the wealth of directly exculpatory evidence went unused for no viable tactical reason,” Masterson’s submission said.

They accused the Church of Scientology of trying to sabotage the case.

Masterson and the victims were members of the Church of Scientology, which led to the church being implicated in the rape claims. In an unearthed court document, these women accused the church of harassment and intimidation, as reported by The Blast in April 2024.

In the documents, the victims said the church had harassed a prosecutor on the case to try to sabotage Masterson’s rape case. They were accused of breaking the windows of the prosecutor’s house and vehicle, interfering with his technological devices, and monitoring him.

Reinhold Mueller, the LA County Deputy District Attorney, had similar feelings in 2023, saying he was run off the road and his house was destroyed. He accused the church of using intimidation and harassment tactics, but he did not publicly blame them, according to law enforcement sources.

Two Prison Transfers Affect the Incarcerated Entertainer

After being found guilty on two of the three charges of forcible rape in 2023, Masterson received a 30-year jail sentence. He had several transfers in two months, according to The Blast, which made his time behind bars less than ideal.

Masterson was moved to the Corcoran State Prison after initially reporting to the North Kern institution. After a short stint at the notorious location, he was sent to the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo.

His transfers raised concerns about his safety at the time, but people with firsthand knowledge told a different story. They claimed that because officials had waited for space to open at his chosen jail, the California Men’s Colony, his prison leaps were done in accordance with usual protocol.