LOS ANGELES – The cases of harassment and intimidation filed by four women who accused TV actor Danny Masterson of rape must now go through mediation inside the Church of Scientology, a Los Angeles judge ruled on Wednesday.
The decision came just days before Masterson’s scheduled indictment on three counts of rape between 2001 and 2003. In early November, the hearing was scheduled for January 6.
On Wednesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court judge Steven Kleifield ruled that the harassment complaint from Chrissie Carnell Bixler, her husband, musician Cedric Bixler-Zavala, Marie Bobette Riales and two Jane Does should be resolved by the Church in “religious arbitration”, there is already an arbitration agreement between the parties that obliges disputes to be dealt with by the Church of Scientology.
The August 2019 lawsuit alleged that the plaintiffs were persecuted and intimidated by church officials after going to the police to report the charges. Carnell Bixler claimed that Masterson sexually assaulted her repeatedly while they were dating in 2001 and 2002. Bixler-Zavala claimed that “defendants’ agents” assaulted them through dog poisoning, auto mugging and telephone harassment.
Jane Doe # 1 also alleged harassment for property damage, threats of violence, assault and sexual harassment in retribution for reporting her alleged rape to the police. Jane Doe # 2 was also part of the lawsuit that allegedly inflicted emotional suffering, persecution and invasion of privacy by the defendants.
Masterson’s lawyer, Andrew Brettler, said: “This was an absolutely correct result. We are looking forward to arbitrating the claims, as the Court instructed.”
The decision was not made on the claims of Bobette Riales, who was not a member of the church and therefore was not subject to the arbitration agreement.
A status conference on arbitration was set by the court for June 30.