Deadline reported that defense attorneys for Danny Masterson, on trial in Los Angeles on three counts of rape, are not happy that Leah Remini unleashed a lacerating Twitter thread this week, saying that the Church of Scientology should be his co-defendant because the organization persecuted female members when they went to the police to “credibly” accuse the actor of sexual assault.
“Scientology has obstructed justice in covering up Danny’s crimes, and his case is not the only time they’ve done this,” said Remini, a former Scientology member-turned-critic. In a series of 36 tweets Tuesday, she called the organization a “multi-billion-dollar cult” that has covered up “horrifying sex crimes” by Masterson an others.
On Wednesday, Masterson’s attorney, Karen Goldstein, complained to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo about Remini’s tweets, Deadline reported. She said they make it “exceedingly difficult” for Masterson, who has pleaded not guilty, “to get a fair trial.” The actor, who is free on $3 million bail, faces up to 45 years to life in prison if found guilty in the assaults of three women in 2001 and 2003.
“(Remini) has commented on defense strategy,” Goldstein said. “She has commented on Scientology,” Goldstein added, using the word “Scientology,” which the defense team has vigorously fought to keep out of the criminal proceedings as much as possible, Deadline reported.
The attorney also said that Remini, who hosted “Scientology and the Aftermath,” the Emmy-winning TV series that exposed Scientology’s alleged abuses, had served as a victim advocate in the current case.
“She was at Jane Doe #1’s interview in 2017,” Goldstein said. “She has met with (LAPD) Detective Vargas multiple times.
Olmedo allowed the defense to lodge its complaints, but it’s hard to see the court issuing a gag order against anyone out in the public sphere who commenting on the case.
As Deadline noted, Remini is well-known critic of Scientology. Since famously defecting from the organization in 2013, she has advocated for state and federal authorities to investigate the inner workings of Scientology, which enjoys tax-exempt status as a nonprofit religious organization. In her series and in her “Fair Game” podcast, she, co-host Mike Rinder and guests highlight the alleged harsh conditions that Scientology members are forced to live under and the alleged physical, financial and sexual abuses they have endured.
Remini said she launched her Twitter thread out of concern that Masterson’s trial isn’t getting enough media attention and that his attorneys have done all they can to limit mention of Scientology’s role in the case. She alleged that “The 70s Show” star wasn’t prosecuted for his crimes for nearly two decades because the church sought to protect him, as one of their high-profile celebrity members.
“Did you know that if you are a Scientologist, you are forbidden from contacting law enforcement when another Scientologist has committed a crime against you?” Remini began her Twitter thread. “If you do, you will be declared a suppressive person and lose your family, friends, and livelihood overnight.”
“Most of the women who have credibly accused Danny of rape were Scientologists and reported their rapes to top ethics officials in Scientology and a few trusted friends,” Remini said.
But in Scientology, which seeks to protect itself from bad publicity “at all costs,” a woman accusing another church member of rape would be made to believe it was her fault, Remini said. She also would be told she could lose her “parents, siblings, significant other, job and all (her) friends, everything (she’s) ever known” if she went to police, Remini added.
“One of the survivors of Danny’s predation, Jane Doe #1, a former Scientologist, finally went to the police in 2004 after she reported that Danny had brutally raped her … to Scientology’s ethics department,” Remini said. “She was threatened and ordered to remain silent.” She “had her life systematically destroyed by Scientology” becausee she went to authorities, Remini added.
Since the trial began Oct. 18, Olmedo has said that “Scientology is not on trial,” Deadline reported. However, the judge has allowed testimony on the women’s experiences with the church as it is tailored to their “state of mind.”
During her testimony Wednesday, Jane Doe #2 described the fear she felt about going to police after Masterson allegedly raped her at his Hollywood Hills home 19 years ago.
“My understanding is that I would be excommunicated, lose my standing, all my community, all my friends, any family, that I would be expelled and declared a suppressive person and seen as evil,” Jane Doe #2 testified, according to Deadline.
Remini concluded her Twitter thread by writing, “If you care about combatting Scientology, if you’re frustrated that Scientology has never been truly held accountable for its crimes, please pay attention to this trial.” She said, ” It’s not just about a Hollywood celebrity. It’s about what a multi-billion dollar cult does to cover up horrifying sex crimes.”
