The women testified astatine a preliminary hearing past twelvemonth that they were initially reluctant to spell to constabulary due to the fact that of religion pressure.

One accuser said connected the basal that she was instructed not to usage "the R-word" erstwhile she told Scientology officials astir the alleged assault. Another testified that a religion lawyer came to her location and warned her that she would beryllium expelled from the religion if she reported Masterson to authorities.

Church of Scientology spokeswoman Karin Pouw denied that determination was immoderate argumentation successful spot to dissuade members from reporting crimes to instrumentality enforcement, telling the LA Times, "Church argumentation explicitly demands Scientologists abide by each laws of the land, including the reporting of crimes. This is blatantly wide successful the documents we recognize were enactment earlier the Court—and galore others."

As assemblage enactment began, defence lawyer Phillip Cohen acknowledged successful tribunal that Scientology whitethorn beryllium "the elephant successful the room," but the religion itself was not connected trial.

"Scientology is not a enactment [to these proceedings], but you're going to perceive astir it," Cohen said, per Variety. "Whether you consciousness truthful powerfully astir your religion—or truthful powerfully against different religions—that's going to beryllium an issue."

The work reported that nary 1 connected the sheet raised a manus when Cohen asked, "Does Mr. Masterson's erstwhile and existent narration and engagement and presumption arsenic a Scientologist person immoderate interaction connected however you presumption him with respect to the government's load to beryllium the charges?"

In his opening statement, Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller detailed an alleged September 2002 encounter between Jen B. (as she's being identified successful court) and Masterson that preceded the incidental she reported to police: Jen said she had planned to conscionable up with her then-best friend Marie Shaffer, Masterson's idiosyncratic adjunct astatine the time, with different friends astatine the actor's house. But Shaffer had a combat with her hubby that nighttime and didn't go. At his house, Masterson gave Jen a vodka-grapefruit drink and led her upstairs to a impermanent bedroom. She felt intoxicated, she said, but consented to kissing and sex—during which, Jen alleges, Masterson flipped her onto her tummy and penetrated her anally. She "injured her backmost a bit" warring him off, Mueller said.

She did not spell to police, the DA explained, due to the fact that astatine the clip she thought that since she had consented to immoderate intersexual activity, what happened wasn't rape.

Jen did archer immoderate friends, including Lisa Marie Presley, a chap Scientologist, what happened with Masterson, Mueller said. (E! News has confirmed that Presley is connected the database of witnesses acceptable to testify.)

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At 1 point, Mueller said in recounting Jen's story, Masterson heard idiosyncratic coming up the stairs and grabbed a gun from his nightstand. He pointed it astatine Jen, saying, "Don't f--king move." When it was over, Jen said she crawled into the closet and passed out.

Mueller recounted that erstwhile Jen told her Church of Scientology morals serviceman that Masterson had raped her, helium allegedly told her, "If you're going to archer maine this was rape, it's not rape. In fact, you're not adjacent allowed to say" that word. If she went to police, she was allegedly told, she could beryllium considered a suppressive idiosyncratic and extremity up separated from her household successful the church.

During the defense's opening statement, Philip Cohen said neither the archetypal constabulary study detailing Jen's relationship nor the draft ailment sent to Masterson's lawyers mentioned thing astir Masterson pulling a gun. (She testified during past year's preliminary hearing that helium threatened her with a gun.)

How has the Church of Scientology factored into the charges against Danny Masterson?

Accuser and ex-girlfriend Christina B. (as she's being identified astatine trial) joined the Church of Scientology astatine Masterson's insistence a fewer months into their relationship, Mueller explained successful his opening statement, and had dated him for astir a twelvemonth earlier helium became "very controlling" and "aggressive sexually." She said she woke up connected much than 1 juncture to find Masterson having enactment with her. During 1 specified instance in November 2001, she started screaming and tried to combat him off, past resorted to grabbing his hair—which was against a regularisation she said Masterson had astir not touching his hairsbreadth oregon look during sex—and helium deed her successful the face. When helium climbed disconnected her, she recalled helium spit on her and called her "white trash."

Christina said she yet reported Masterson after a 2001 evening retired that ended with her not remembering a happening until she woke up the adjacent morning, astatine Masterson's house, successful symptom and bleeding from what felt to her similar tearing successful her rectal area. "She's alone, she's naked, she's confused," Mueller said. Christina said that erstwhile she asked Masterson what happened, helium laughed and told her he'd had anal enactment with her portion she was unconscious. 

"She was truly traumatized by this," Mueller said, and reported it to her morals serviceman astatine the Church of Scientology. The officer's hubby was besides a religion chaplain, and helium told Christina that she couldn't beryllium raped by her "2D"—or "second dynamic," a word referring to a woman's hubby oregon spouse that Mueller promised would travel up again aboriginal on.

Christina accepted that for a agelong time, Mueller said. She and Masterson broke up successful March 2002, the DA continued, but inactive saw each different occasionally and had consensual enactment connected 2 occasions. She yet reported him to constabulary successful 2016 astatine the encouragement of her husband—who, aft proceeding his woman recount her experience, told her that what happened was rape.

A rep for Masterson told E! News successful 2017, erstwhile allegations against the histrion were archetypal reported (including a rape accusation by an unnamed ex-girlfriend), that the Church of Scientology had said that the lone request the accuser made of the Church was to question their assistance "to intervene truthful the breakup would not beryllium permanent."

The 3rd accuser, an histrion identified astatine proceedings arsenic N. Trout, said that she was invited backmost to Masterson's location aft a nighttime retired successful Hollywood. They were having drinks, Mueller said successful relaying her relationship of events, and N. said Masterson persuaded her to get into the blistery tub. She agreed, but told him she wasn't going to person enactment with him.

She was feeling fuzzy, her relationship continued, and Masterson brought her upstairs into the shower, wherever helium started kissing her and archetypal initiated penetration. She was startled and said no. Then they were backmost connected the furniture and, though she told him "no" aggregate times, she said helium kept going until she "felt similar a limp ragdoll." N. besides said she vomited successful her rima portion it was happening.

What did Danny Masterson's lawyer accidental successful his opening statement?

Defense lawyer Cohen said successful his opening connection that he, successful turn, would explicate wherefore these women aren't credible and that, contempt being instructed by instrumentality enforcement not to talk oregon different consult with each different astir their cases, they all ended up talking to 1 another.

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