'She said he did not stop': Jordan Ladd reveals 'shaken' friend told her she was raped by Danny Masterson
Warning: This article contains recollection of sexual assault that could be triggering to some readers. Discretion is advised.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: An actress reportedly testified on Thursday, November 2, 2022, and accused Danny Masterson of rape, claiming that her "shaken" friend disclosed to her that she had been sexually assaulted by the American actor. Jordan Ladd, 47, told the court that she was aghast when the female accuser told her that she was raped by the 'The Ranch' actor in his shower and again in his bedroom on one night in late 2003.
"It was a difficult conversation," said Ladd, according to Daily Mail. The female accuser also happens to be an actress and a friend of Ladd and the two appeared in a movie together more than two decades ago. "She revealed to me that she had experienced something that I recognized as date rape." Till now, three women, named Jane Doe 1, 2, and 3, have accused Masterson of sexually assaulting them inside his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 to 2003.
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The women accused the actor of supplying them with alcohol before assaulting them and sometimes even attacking them while they were in an unconscious state. One of the victims even stated that she was pressurized not to report the crimes by the representatives of Scientology. Masterson has since denied all the allegations.
Ladd testified on Thursday that the female accuser, named as "Jane Doe 2", spoke to her after the alleged attack. "She appeared shaken and she was physically shaking. She was emotional…she was trembling in her speech," said Ladd. "She said she had sex with Danny Masterson and she kept saying 'no' and 'I don't want to do this' and she kept saying no over and over again. She said he did not stop and she gave up."
"I was shocked. I felt helpless, at a loss for words", Ladd said when she was asked how she reacted to her friend's revelation by Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson. "She absolutely said, 'Do not tell anyone'. She seemed afraid, confused. She adamantly shut me down and was terrified that I would say something to someone."
Ladd, who has starred in several Hollywood horror movies over the years, said that she was a close acquaintance of Masterson until the 'Jane Doe 2' incident. The actress said she found herself with Masterson the following summer at a wedding. She stated, "He was rather cold and chilly to me."
Under cross-examination by Masterson's attorney Philip Cohen, Ladd said that during the conversation about the alleged rape incident, the female accuser appeared to be worried about catching a sexually transmitted disease because Masterson had not worn a condom. "She was embarrassed," she added.
Ladd replied, "No," when she was asked by Cohen if Jane Doe 2 said it was her plan to go into the shower with Masterson. She again responded with "no" when Cohen asked her if Jane Doe 2 told her after the incident that she and Masterson "were probably going to start dating."
Earlier on Thursday, a Los Angeles detective who investigated the case was shocked to find out their allegations appear in the media despite alarming Masterson's three accusers repeatedly not to talk to each other or the press. A 29-year veteran of the LAPD, Detective Esther Reyes, told a court that she was adamant the trio avoid action which would "damage or contaminate" the police investigation into their cases against the Scientologist and actor.
All three accusers have admitted in the court that they spoke to each other after being interviewed by Reyes in 2017. Reyes told the court on Thursday that she told them not to communicate with each other or other possible witnesses under any circumstances.
Cohen asked Reyes about 'cross-contamination' in an investigation. She explained that if alleged victims or witnesses speak to each other, "their recollections may be different because they have spoken to each other."
Reyes agreed with Cohen that independence is essential. "It's important to get a witness's independent recollection that has not been influenced in any way by talking to other witnesses," she said.
Reyes then added that she was worried about the potential damage that can be caused to her investigation if the trio communicated with each other about the case. Reyes told the court that she told Jane Does 1, 2, and 3 that they should also not talk to the press or media during the investigation but she later learned that "information had been released to the press by one or more of the Jane Does."
A day or two after the 2003 incident with Masterson, Jane Doe 2 also spoke to her mother who was a Scientologist at the time. The elderly mother fought back tears on Thursday as she recalled that traumatic conversation with her daughter. "She was very upset," said her mother. "She said he was coming at her from behind like a jackhammer and relentless and she told him to stop and he wouldn't stop."
When Anson asked the woman if her daughter used the word 'rape' during the conversation, she replied, "Not that I remember. I remember her saying she was being pounded." Jane Doe 2's mother denied the claims brought by Cohen during the cross-examination which indicated that her daughter wanted to be romantically involved with Masterson after the sexual encounter. "I remember her saying she wanted to have a date - and it turned out to be something very different," she added.
The star of 'That '70s Show' may face up to 45 years in prison if he gets convicted on all the charges.