Danny Masterson has appealed his rape conviction after being sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.
Masterson’s attorney, Cliff Gardner, shared a 246-page opening brief on Wednesday, December 18, claiming several errors were made that “violated” the actor’s “rights to confrontation and a fair trial.”
Gardner also issued a statement alleging “two fundamental flaws in Danny Masterson’s convictions.”
In the first flaw, he alleged, “the trial was rife with erroneous judicial rulings that skewed the jury’s view of the evidence against him.” And in the second, the lawyer claimed “there was a stunning amount of exculpatory evidence which was never presented to the jury.”
Gardner stated that “the appeal represents only one part of Danny’s challenge to his convictions. Danny’s habeas lawyer will be following up on the opening brief with a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus documenting additional defects in the trial process. Stay tuned as we work toward Danny’s complete exoneration.”
Four women claimed in March 2017 that Masterson, 48, sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s. A fifth woman came forward in December 2017, claiming that while she was dating the actor, he “repeatedly raped” her.
Masterson maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty in January 2021 to three counts of rape. His first trial began in fall 2022, which ended in a mistrial. Masterson went back on trial in spring 2023 when he was convicted of two counts of rape. In September 2023, he was handed a 30-year prison sentence. He filed an appeal two months later; it was denied in January.
Prior to the conviction, Masterson was best known for his role as Steven Hyde in That ‘70s Show from 1998 to 2006 as well as his role on Netflix’s The Ranch as Jameson “Rooster” Bennett from 2016 to 2018.
Masterson’s wife, Bijou Phillips, filed for divorce in September 2023 after 12 years of marriage. The following month, Us confirmed that Masterson agreed to give Phillips, 44, full legal and physical custody of their daughter, Fianna, 10.
In December 2023, Masterson was admitted into the prison system and began his sentence at North Kern State Prison in Delano, California. He was later transferred to California’s Men’s Colony, a minimum-security prison in San Luis Obispo. Masterson will not be eligible for parole until July 2042, when he would be 66 years old.
