4 women are suing Danny Masterson and Scientology for stalking after they made sexual assault allegations
In late 2017, five women accused That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson of rape—including his ex-girlfriends Bobette Riales and Chrissie Carnell Bixler. The allegations led Netflix to fire the actor from its original comedy The Ranch, and in early 2018, Masterson’s talent agency dropped him. Now, four of the women who have spoken out are suing the actor and the Church of Scientology for allegedly stalking them.
HuffPost reports that the women filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on August 14th, accusing Masterson and the Church of Scientology of stalking, invasion of privacy, and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The plaintiffs in the suit consisted of Riales and Bixler, as well as two women who chose to remain anonymous. According to HuffPost, Bixler and the two anonymous women are former members of the Church of Scientology.
In statements sent to HuffPost via their attorneys, Masterson and the Church of Scientology dismissed the claims against them. Masterson called the suit “beyond ridiculous” and accused his ex-girlfriend of “baiting” him into a public fight.
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2. Just received this statement from Danny Masterson which I will add to my story.
Masterson fails to address that three other women have accused him of rape and various other allegations. He is solely focused on ONE of his ex-girlfriends.
My Story: https://t.co/04hYPaky6v pic.twitter.com/tB4jzTPK5n— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 15, 2019
The Church of Scientology’s statement, meanwhile, argued that “the claims are ludicrous and a sham.” It went on to call the lawsuit “a dishonest and hallucinatory publicity stunt.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the suit claims that Scientology prohibits its members from reporting crimes committed by other members and that the organization blames sexual assault survivors for what happened to them. In the suit, Bixler alleges that after she accused Masterson of rape, her family has been filmed, she has been blackmailed, and her car has been broken into. Riales says that she has seen people taking photos of her and that her home and food truck have been vandalized. One of the anonymous women says that she has been surveilled and stalked, while the other claims that she has experienced harassment and vandalism of her personal property. There are other claims in the suit as well.
Four women have sued Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology claiming they were stalked and intimidated after they filed reports. Details: https://t.co/VOPrSjYA5B
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 15, 2019
We’re glad that these four women are taking action, and we’ll be keeping a close eye on this case for updates.
