Danny Masterson’s lawyer says the actor’s legal battle is not over following his jail sentence for rape, maintaining that the actor didn’t commit the crimes for which he was convicted.
On Sept. 7, the actor, who rose to fame in the ’90s playing Steven Hyde on That ’70s Show, was sentenced to 30 years to life behind bars for raping two women in 2001 and 2003 in his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson, 47, was convicted in June in a second trial, with the jury remaining deadlocked on an additional charge that he allegedly raped a third woman.
After the hearing, Shawn Holley, Danny Masterson’s lawyer, said in a statement to multiple outlets that “a team of the top appellate lawyers in the country has been reviewing the transcripts of the trial” and “have identified a number of significant evidentiary and constitutional issues which they will address in briefs to both state and federal appellate courts.”
Danny Masterson’s lawyer continued, “The errors which occurred in this case are substantial and unfortunately, led to verdicts which are not supported by the evidence. And though we have great respect for the jury in this case and for our system of justice overall, sometimes they get it wrong. And that’s what happened here.”
Masterson, Holley said, “did not commit the crimes for which he has been convicted and we—and the appellate lawyers—the best and the brightest in the country—are confident that these convictions will be overturned.”
After the Los Angeles County Superior Court’s sentencing of Masterson, Alison Anderson, a lawyer representing two accusers, said in a statement that her clients had “displayed tremendous strength and bravery” in coming forward. She added, “Despite persistent harassment, obstruction and intimidation, these courageous women helped hold a ruthless sexual predator accountable today.”
In addition, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement that he applauded the women for “coming forward and participating in this process,” according to E! News.
He continued, “My hope is that this sentence will somehow bring them peace and that their bravery will be an example to others.” He also said, “One of my top priorities is to ensure that Los Angeles will no longer be a hunting ground for Hollywood elite who feel entitled to prey on women.”
Prosecutors had said that Masterson, who previously pleaded not guilty to the rape charges, met the accusers through the Church of Scientology.
The women had accused the organization of pressuring them into not reporting the allegations to police. The church denied those allegations, in a statement earlier this year that the group “has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of anyone—Scientologists or not—to law enforcement,” E! News report added.
Masterson’s career had already been impacted by the allegations prior to his conviction this year. In 2017, after he was first accused of sexually assaulting multiple women, the actor was fired from the Netflix series The Ranch.