Los Angeles, USA
A lawyer for the actor “That Show from the ’70s” Danny Masterson, accused of raping three women in the early 2000s, pleaded not guilty on her behalf on Wednesday.
Defense attorney Tom Mesereau presented Masterson’s testimony, which was not present, at the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The meeting coincided with the inauguration ceremony of President Joe Biden in Washington, which resulted in less media coverage than his initial appearance in June. The complaint had been postponed several times.
Prosecutors claim that the 44-year-old actor, who was released on bail after his arrest on June 17, He raped a 23-year-old woman sometime in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April 2003 and a 23-year-old woman between October and December 2003. All the alleged rapes allegedly took place at his home in Hollywood Hills.
Masterson could spend up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Mesereau, whose previous clients are Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby, told the court in June that the allegations were the result of unfair publicity and political pressure to prosecute him. The lawyer said that his team will prove that the actor is innocent.
Masterson’s arrest was made after a three-year investigation which led to the rare indictment of a famous Hollywood figure in the #MeToo era. Despite dozens of investigations, most have not been charged with lack of evidence or the time that has elapsed since the alleged sexual abuse.
The alleged rapes allegedly occurred when Masterson was at the height of his fame as the co-star of the retro comedy series “That ’70s Show”, which aired on Fox TV from 1998-2006 and Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Wilmer Valderrama and Topher Grace, among others.