On Wednesday, a lady sobbed while testifying graphically about a night in 2003 when she claimed to have awakened from unconsciousness to discover actor Danny Masterson raping her.
She is the first of three women to testify against Masterson in his Los Angeles trial. They all claim that he raped them. She said that she attempted to get Masterson away at one point by grabbing his hair, but he pushed a pillow in her face instead.
She sobbed as she continued, “I was suffocated.” “I was unable to breathe.”
Later, she said, she tried to push him away by grabbing his neck, but he held her down and choked her.
When the prosecution questioned her about her thoughts at the moment, she responded: “that he intended to murder me. that I would pass away.”
She was crying at this moment. I can’t do this, she said, and then. She was consoled in the witness stand by a court victims services advocate when the judge announced a short recess.
She later testified that Masterson had retrieved a revolver from his nightstand drawer and told her to keep quiet when there was a disturbance at the door, including voices.
She said that even though she only drank approximately half of the fruity vodka cocktail that Masterson had given her, she was in and out of awareness for the whole night.
The three women were allegedly raped by Masterson, 46, between 2001 and 2003 at his house. He was the star of the Fox TV comedy “That ’70s show” at the time. He has entered a not guilty plea to all three rape charges.
Later on Wednesday or Thursday, his counsel was going to cross-examine the defendant.
A former defense attorney for Masterson said that each of the three women had misrepresented consenting sexual activity as rape.
Unless they come forward publicly, The Associated Press does not identify anybody who claim to have been sexually assaulted.
Masterson, who was dressed in a suit and sat at the defense table, glanced her way as she gave her testimony but showed no sign of emotion. A number of his family members and friends were seated behind him in the front of the gallery, along with his wife, the actress and model Bijou Phillips.
The lady, who was 27 at the time, belonged to the same Church of Scientology social group as Masterson’s assistant and was her closest friend.
She said that the only reason she had gone to Masterson’s residence was to get a set of keys and that things between the two of them had been tense since since they had intercourse a few months previously, which she first told police had been consensual in 2004 but subsequently realized she hadn’t agreed to.
Her close friend Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley and ex-wife of Michael Jackson, and Masterson’s assistant Brie Shaffer were among the church members she informed about the event, and it caused a breach in the group.
All three of Masterson’s accusers have subsequently left the Church of Scientology, although they were all members there when they allege to have been sexually assaulted. Masterson is still a participant. Prior to the trial, Judge Charlaine Olmedo said that although she would not let Scientology to be made a de facto defendant, she would permit some discussion of it.
The court cautioned the lady not to go too deeply into talks of religion when she took the stand on Wednesday after commencing her evidence on Tuesday, an issue she had already reprimanded Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller for.
Scientology was still mentioned. According to the woman’s testimony, several of their common acquaintances filed “knowledge reports” expressing their displeasure with her after she informed them about the original encounter with Masterson. An ethics officer then summoned her and had her make amends with him and accept responsibility.
The lady said, “You can never be a victim. “Whatever happens, you’re always in charge.”
She said that in order to avoid being labeled a “suppressive person” by the church, she signed a non-disclosure agreement with Masterson in 2004 and took $400,000 over the course of a year.
She testified that she had only planned to spend a short time at Masterson’s home, which served as the gathering place for their group of friends.
The next year, the lady would report the incident to the police, but no charges were brought. After getting in touch with one of the other ladies who would be testifying, she returned to the police late in 2016.
A number of cases with #MeToo elements are now taking place coast to coast, including Masterson’s. They include the nearby second rape and sexual assault trial for Harvey Weinstein as well as the civil court cases in New York for the accused sexual assault defendants Paul Haggis and screenwriter Kevin Spacey.
Scientology plays a significant part in Haggis’ trial as a church dissident who is permitted to claim that the organization is responsible for the accusations made against him.