'You have to choose your fate': Danny Masterson rape accuser gives CHILLING testimony against Scientology
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: One of Danny Masterson's rape accusers testified in court on Wednesday, October 19, that he used a $400,000 non-disclosure agreement to buy her silence, New York Post reported. The woman, who was the first of three to testify, had earlier in the day detailed how Masterson had viciously raped her in 2003 and how she had chosen not to tell her Scientology superiors about it.
Jen B, the testifier who gave the evidence, claimed that she was given the option to either sign the NDA or risk being labeled a “suppressive” and excommunicated from the Scientology sect that she and Danny were members of.
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“My life would be over,” she testified. “My parents would have to disconnect from me. … I had a daughter in school. I wouldn’t be able to work with [my parents]. I wouldn’t know where to go. My parents would also be ‘labeled.’ Their company, the people who worked for them, family and friends and everyone they’ve known since 1972 … You have to choose your fate, and I didn’t know if they would choose me over that."
The specifics of the contract were not made public in court, but Jen B's attorneys claimed that Masterson was required to pay the whole settlement sum within a year. Jen B agreed that she wouldn't "destroy his reputation" or his ability to earn money in the future. She was required to pay $200,000 per infraction if she violated the agreement. She said in her testimony how she went to the Beverly Hills office of renowned celebrity lawyer Marty Singer to sign the paperwork.
She stated that she had been given till six o'clock that day to sign the contract.
Jen B testified that when Singer handed her the documents, he reportedly instructed her to not to touch any of the pages, just to sign them. She did, however, recall seeing the name "David Duncan," which was Masterson's code name, on the document. The NDA was signed a year after she claimed being raped. She reported the event to her Scientology managers, who allegedly urged her against calling the police.
When their response was displayed to the court, Jen B provided a summary, saying, “He didn’t give me permission to go to law enforcement. Instead he chose to point to the policy that I cannot go to the police."
However, Jen B did notify the Los Angeles Police Department about the event in 2004, about a year after it occurred. High-ranking Church members reportedly grew enraged when the LAPD approached them about the event, with one allegedly saying: “Yeah, you are f***ed. You have no idea how f***ed you are,'” she claimed. Soon she received the NDA to sign.
When asked about her fears, she replied, “I broke that NDA about 50 times… I’m supposed to just tell you ‘Mr. Duncan’ and I had a disagreement and we resolved it.”
The Church of Scientology has previously said it is “inappropriate to comment on a pending criminal matter” regarding the Masterson case. The church has also refuted Jen B's allegations in the past, saying "it has no policy prohibiting or discouraging members from reporting criminal conduct of Scientologists – or of anyone — to law enforcement … Church policy explicitly demands Scientologists abide by all laws of the land, including the reporting of crimes.”
Philip Cohen, the defence attorney for Masterson, will question Jen B. on the witness stand on Thursday. He had questioned the victims' motivation, morality, and how the specifics of their claims had evolved over time in his opening arguments regarding the case. Cohen said that despite repeated warnings from investigators, the three accusers had already "polluted" the investigation by speaking with one another. Masterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He may spend up to 45 years in prison if proven guilty.