Where Is Danny Masterson Now? An Update on His Trial and Sexual Assault Case

Trigger Warning: The content includes references to topics such as sexual assault. Reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673), Victim Connect Live Chat (victimconnet.org), and National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline (1-866-331-9474) if you have ever been taken advantage of.

Danny Masterson's career in acting and stature in Hollywood reached an all-time low after his sexual assault allegations surfaced in 2017. Since then, he has been in a constant battle against the four women who accused him of assault.

A lot of court dates have followed since the allegations first came up, a lot of media scrutiny, and a few job cancellations as well. And now, the case is almost about to end.

Here is a rundown on what has happened in Masterson's sexual assault case, the trial, and what is about to happen in late August 2022.

Danny Masterson’s Sexual Assault Charges

Everything began in March 2017 when four women filed sexual assault allegations against Masterson. The case, filed in the Los Angeles Police Department, immediately prompted the department to launch an investigation.

The media caught this, Netflix fired him from The Ranch, a show he had been on since 2016, on December 5, 2017, and his talent agency, United Talent Agency, also dropped him. Masterson, however, denied the allegations soon after.

Danny Masterson, who is now fighting a court case for sexual assault allegations, with his wife, Bijou Phillips. (Photo: Danny Masterson/Instagram)

That same month, another woman who dated Masterson made similar accusations, taking the accuser count to five. One of the five women is Chrissie Carnell Bixler, whose husband, Cedric Bixler-Zavala, accused him of sexual assault on his wife.

Then, in August 2019, the first four women who filed for sexual assault sued Masterson and the Church of Scientology, which he has been a part of for the longest time, for stalking and harassment.

This harassment included unexplained deaths of family pets, breaking windows of their houses, clicking pictures from their driveways, and online harassment.

After the second lawsuit, Masterson responded to one of the women, saying he would not be fighting his ex girlfriend in the media. He said he would instead take the legal route, prove the allegations wrong in court, and then sue everyone who "jumped on the bandwagon" regarding the allegations.

Again, in January 2020, Bixler-Zavala reported another one of their dogs' death. He attributed this to the Church of Scientology's continued attempts at harassment, as he had been very vocal about Masterson's alleged rape of his wife.

Where Is Danny Masterson Now? Is He in Jail?

Following these accusations and lawsuits, Masterson was charged with three counts of rape "by force or fear" on June 17, 2020.

He was arrested following the charges — rape of a 23-year-old woman in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April 2003, and a 23-year-old woman in late 2003 at his Hollywood Hills home. If Masterson was to be convicted, he would face 45 years to life in state prison.

He was arrested the same day the charges were levied against him but was released on a $3.3 million bail later that day. As for now, he is not in jail.

The Court Proceedings and Recent Update

After his brief arrest and release in June 2020, Masterson appeared in court on January 21, 2021. He pleaded "not guilty" to the three rape charges from 2001 to 2003.

The defense lawyers also said they wanted a "fair trial and an unbiased jury," and they wanted no media presence during the trial. The prosecutor denied this request.

His defense attorney went on the offense and instead accused the three women, who were called Jennifer B., N. trout, and Christina B., of working together to defame and trap Masterson. During a four-day preliminary hearing in May 2021, judge Charlaine F. Olmedo said she found the three witnesses to be credible and the evidence sufficient to support the charges.

August 9, 2021, was set as the date for a pretrial hearing.

During the pretrial hearing, Masterson — a married man and a father of one — and his side requested access to files regarding David Miscavige and Shelly Miscavige, the two leaders of the Church of Scientology, and Leah Remini, a former Scientologist who now advocates against it.

The judge, however, threw out this request as well and set the final criminal trial date to be on August 29, 2022.

Judge Olmedo also dismissed a motion to dismiss the case — Masterson's side had filed a motion for the case to be dismissed based on a lack of evidence during the May 2021 hearing.

Then, in July 2022, the Church of Scientology launched a last-ditch effort to save itself from the case. They filed a petition to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to stop the four alleged victims from taking the church to court.

They dubbed the case a "vicious campaign of harassment against them" and also wanted the matter to be solved behind closed doors. This petition is assumed to still be in consideration, as there has been no news of any developments.