LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Attorney’s Office will indict the ‘That ’70s Show’ actor again Danny Masterson in three rape cases after a hopelessly deadlocked jury resulted in one Mistrial in his first trial in November.
The LA County Attorney’s Office explained the prosecutors’ plans in court filings and at a hearing Tuesday, where Supreme Court Justice Charlaine F. Olmedo denied a defense motion to dismiss the charges.
The move comes despite prosecutors failing to get even half of the previous jury to vote in favor of a conviction on one of the charges against Masterson, who was charged with raping three women, including a former girlfriend, at his home between 2001 and 2003 is.
“We are pleased that Danny Masterson cannot simply evade criminal responsibility,” two of the three women and the husband of one said in a joint statement released by their attorneys. “Despite years of intimidation and harassment, we are determined to participate in the next criminal trial.”
The Associated Press does not typically credit people who say they have been sexually abused.
The judge tentatively set the start of the retrial at the end of March.
Masterson, 46, had no comment to reporters outside court after Tuesday’s hearing, and his attorney did not respond to an email seeking comment.
He has pleaded not guilty and his attorney said the crimes were all consensual.
The Church of Scientology played an important role during the month-long process, with Masterson as a member and all three female former members. Prosecutors said the church kept them from going public for years, which the church has denied.
The charges come at a time when Masterson was at the height of his fame, starring as Steven Hyde on Fox’s That ’70s Show from 1998 to 2006. The show made stars like Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace and is getting an upcoming Netflix reboot with That ’90s Show.
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