'Brainwashing to the Nth degree': Church of Scientology accused of silencing Danny Masterson's victims
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Danny Masterson, known for his role on 'That '70s Show', was found guilty of two counts of forcible rape in a retrial of a case involving three women - the third count against Jane Doe 3 has been declared a mistrial. However, it is not only the actor himself who was on trial. During the opening of the trial on Tuesday, May 30, it was revealed that the Church of Scientology allegedly pressurized his alleged victims into silence by threatening them with excommunication if they reported his alleged crimes to the police.
Prosecutors presented the accounts of Masterson's three accusers, highlighting how officials from the Church of Scientology discouraged them from taking their claims to the police. Attorney Stewart Ryan, representing the plaintiffs in the civil suit, stated, "The allegations in the lawsuit claim that our clients promptly reported the sexual assaults to Scientology when they occurred. The lawsuit further alleges that Scientology engaged in a cover-up of the sexual assaults."
'She truly believed she 'pulled it in' and it was not rape'
Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller informed the jury that one of the victims, who was also a member of the church at the time, had confided in senior Scientology members about the alleged rape by Masterson in 2001, but was instructed to keep quiet, per the NY Post.
Using her court appointed name to hide her true identity, Mueller said, "One of the things Christina B. understood was she couldn’t report Mr. Masterson because he was an 'Upstat'— someone who contributes a lot to the Church. She believed in Scientology. She truly believed she 'pulled it in' and it was not rape. She trusted the Church." Within the Church of Scientology, the term "pulled it in" is used to describe a negative event or circumstance that befalls an individual as a consequence of their actions in a past life.
In relation to the case, the prosecutor revealed that Christina B. was informed that Masterson was her "2D" or "Second Dynamic." In Scientology terminology, this refers to a personal relationship between two individuals. Due to this designation, Christina B. was allegedly told that the incident was her own fault and would not be classified as rape. Mueller said a higher ranking Church member told her, "You can’t rape your 2D … Don’t ever say that again!"
Church of Scientology threatened excommunication to silence the victims
According to Mueller, the other two alleged victims, identified as "Jen B" and "N. Trout," were also members of the Church of Scientology at the time of the alleged sexual assaults. They were allegedly warned not to report the incidents, as doing so would result in them being labeled "suppressive persons." This term refers to individuals who are ex-communicated from the church. It is worth noting that none of the alleged victims had any prior knowledge of each other until years after their respective relationships with Masterson.
'It is brainwashing to the Nth degree'
Geoff Levin, a former Scientologist, claimed that in a situation like this, the church's protocol would involve handling the allegations internally and subjecting the women to "security checks." "Maybe you’d be directed into finding that, 10 million years ago, you enslaved a whole city and allowed your soldiers to rape all the women," Levin added. "[And] that is the reason why this is happening to you now. It is brainwashing to the Nth degree." Ryan, the lawyer, said that it "is accurate" that the women experienced intimidation tactics by the church. "It was part of the pressure campaign to force them into silence."
Chrissie Carnell Bixler, the only victim mentioned by name in the criminal filing, revealed that she was in a relationship with Masterson from 1996 to 2001. She alleges that during that time, she was drugged and subjected to multiple instances of rape in Masterson's home. According to Bixler's claims, she states that she experienced harassment from Church of Scientology members, including being stalked and filmed. She further alleges that an individual affiliated with Scientology spat on her after she caught him attempting to hack her phone. Additionally, she asserts that there were threats to release nude photos of her when she was underage. The lawsuit suggests that Bixler holds the belief that representatives of Scientology played a role in the deaths of two of her family's pets.