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California appeals court upholds actor Danny Masterson's rape convictions

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Via AP news wire. (2026, October 28). California appeals court upholds actor Danny Masterson's rape convictions. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/danny-masterson-california-los-angeles-church-of-scientology-ashton-kutcher-b3074742.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-10-28 · by Via AP news wire

Quick Summary

A California appeals court upheld actor Danny Masterson's convictions and 30-year sentence for raping two women in 2003. In an 89-page ruling, judges rejected all of Masterson’s arguments, including claims that his defense was inadequate and that evidence was improperly excluded. Masterson’s attorneys stated they will seek a review by the California Supreme Court. The case involves allegations made by former members of the Church of Scientology against whom church officials allegedly discouraged from reporting their assaults as rape.
Written by AI on 2026-10-28, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 28, 2026, a California appeals court upheld Danny Masterson's rape convictions and 30-year prison sentence. The three-judge panel rejected all of his arguments, including claims of judicial bias against the Church of Scientology and ineffective assistance of counsel. Masterson was convicted in May 2023 for raping two women at his home in 2003; a third count involving a rape allegation from 2001 ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury. The court ruled that Masterson failed to demonstrate any errors warranting a new trial and dismissed claims about the statute of limitations and evidentiary rulings. His legal team plans to appeal to the California Supreme Court.

Written for “Danny Masterson Loses Appeal” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Danny Masterson Loses Appeal
Entertainment · 4 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 8% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
‘That ’70s Show’ actor Danny Masterson loses appeal of rape conviction Same event
Global News
Hedges 6 of 28 claims Outlet record 63/100
Danny Masterson loses appeal against rape conviction after arguing judge was biased against Scientology Same event
The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 19 claims Outlet record 66/100
Danny Masterson loses appeal of rape conviction Same event
CBC News
Hedges 1 of 17 claims Outlet record 60/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
13
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
8%
1 of 13 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
4
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-28 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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🔮 In an 89-page ruling, the three-judge panel unanimously found that the “That '70s Show” actor had failed to demonstrate that the lower court made errors that would warrant granting him a new trial.
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Topics

California Independent the California Men’s Colony the California Supreme Court the Church of Scientology

Subjects

Masterson PERSON · 6× Ashton Kutcher PERSON · 1× California GPE · 1× Danny Masterson PERSON · 1× Independent ORG · 1× Mila Kunis PERSON · 1× San Luis Obispo GPE · 1× the California Men’s Colony ORG · 1× the California Supreme Court ORG · 1× the Church of Scientology ORG · 1×

Narrative

In an 89-page ruling, the three-judge panel unanimously found that the “That '70s Show” actor had failed to demonstrate that the lower court made errors that would warrant granting him a new trial.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-28
🔮 In an 89-page ruling, the three-judge panel unanimously found that the “That '70s Show” actor had failed to demonstrate that the lower court made errors that would warrant granting him a new trial.
2026-10-28 · The Independent
California appeals court upholds actor Danny Masterson's rape convictions · assertive framing

Claims (13 extracted, 1 hedged)

A California appeals court on Tuesday upheld actor Danny Masterson 's convictions and long prison sentence for raping two women at his home in 2003. asserted
court → uphold → 2003
In an 89-page ruling, the three-judge panel unanimously found that the “That '70s Show” actor had failed to demonstrate that the lower court made errors that would warrant granting him a new trial. asserted
that → find → trial
The panel also rejected a petition filed by Masterson that claimed ineffective assistance of counsel. asserted
that → reject → counsel
Masterson's first trial ended with a deadlocked jury in 2022, but at his retrial the following year, he was convicted of raping two women. asserted
he → end → women
He was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. asserted
He → sentence → prison
His attorneys said in an emailed statement Tuesday that they would seek review at the California Supreme Court. asserted
they → say → Court
Among the claims that the court rejected were that Masterson's convictions violated the 10-year statute of limitations for forcible rape, as the statute does not apply where there are multiple victims; that the trial court excluded evidence in his favor; and that the trial court exhibited bias against his religion. uncertain
court → reject → religion
Masterson is a prominent member of the Church of Scientology, and his accusers are former members who said they grew disillusioned with the institution after they were assaulted. asserted
they → say → institution
They said church officials told them what had happened to them was not rape, and that its policies prevented them from going to police. asserted
policies → say → police
The church vehemently denied having any such policy. asserted
church → deny → policy
Masterson, 50, has been serving his sentence at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo. asserted
Masterson → serve → Obispo
Masterson starred with Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace in “That ’70s Show” from 1998 until 2006. asserted
Masterson → star → 2006
He had reunited with Kutcher on the 2016 Netflix comedy “The Ranch,” but he was written off the show after the allegations surfaced. asserted
allegations → reunite → show
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