Danny Masterson’s rape case has changed, with an actor’s lawyer claiming that police members have leaked information pertinent to the case.
According to reports, a hearing for Masterson’s criminal case was held on Wednesday, where his lawyer, Tom Mesereau, claimed to the judge: “This is a high profile case and we think the information has leaked to the press.”
The Daily Mail reports that Mesereau suggested that the leaks may have come from police officers or the Los Angeles district attorney’s office. Reinhold Mueller, an assistant district attorney in Los Angeles, denied the allegation.
“The People are vehemently opposed to the leak suggestions. There is no evidence to support that,” countered Mueller.
DANNY MASTERSON IS NOT GUILTY OF RAPE CHARGES
Actor Danny Masterson appears in his indictment at the Los Angeles Superior Court in Los Angeles, California, on Friday, September 18, 2020.
(Lucy Nicholson / Photo of the pool via AP)
Mesereau and the LA DA office did not immediately respond to Fox News’s requests for comment. Masterson did not appear in court for Wednesday’s hearing.
Masterson faces three charges of rape by force or fear, arising from incidents that allegedly occurred in the early 2000s. In January, the actor pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Prosecutors alleged that Masterson, 44, who has been on bail since his arrest on June 17, raped a 23-year-old woman in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April 2003 and a 23-year-old woman. elderly woman between October and December 2003. All the alleged rapes took place at her home in the Hollywood Hills.
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Mesereau, whose previous clients included Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby, said in court last June that the charges were the result of an unfair media advertising campaign and political pressure to prosecute his client. The lawyer said his team would prove that Masterson is not to blame.
If convicted, Danny Masterson faces up to 45 years in prison.
(AP / Archive)
Masterson faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
His arrest came after a three-year investigation that resulted in the rare lawsuit against a famous Hollywood figure in the #MeToo era. Despite dozens of investigations, most have not resulted in any charges based on lack of evidence or a long time since the alleged sexual assaults.
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The alleged rapes took place at the height of Masterson’s fame, when he starred as Steven Hyde on “That ’70s Show” from 1998 to 2006.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.