'The Ranch' Alum Danny Masterson Blasts Stalking Lawsuit as 'Shameful Money Grab'

Danny Masterson has denounced the lawsuit he's currently facing. The former star of The Ranch is being sued along with the Church of Scientology by four women citing multiple incidents of being followed, having their homes surveilled and their property damaged. The lawsuit claims this has all been in retaliation for the quartet going public with rape claims against Masterson, who is himself a Scientologist.

Now, legal documents filed by attorney Andrew Brettler, which were obtained by TMZ, indicate that Masterson has asked a judge to throw out the case based on a lack of specificity, going so far as to call it a "shameful money grab" by a group of his ex-girlfriends. Masterson also wants a judge to force the two Jane Does to disclose their names publicly and publicly state what they claim he did wrong, calling their current claims far too general. There's a hearing scheduled for March when the court is expected to issue a ruling.

Last month, the Church of Scientology asked that the case be thrown out on the grounds of "religious arbitration" as a condition of participating in Scientology services. The church argues that the women agreed to ecclesiastical justice procedures after making a commitment to the church, and argue that they can't make such claims against the church -- regardless if they have since severed ties with the organization.

"This Court may not interfere with this condition by imposing civil rules for arbitration. The Church's arbitration agreement, as written and agreed to, must be enforced," the motion read, in part.

The lawsuit against Masterson was filed back in August, by Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, Marie Riales and two Jane Does. Carnell-Bixler has also alleged that her car was broken into, that her family was filmed by people outside their home and that she was targeted on social media. Additionally, Carnell-Bixler and her husband, Mars Volta singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala, have also accused Masterson and the church of poisoning their dog as a type of retribution for the lawsuit.

Carnell-Bixler began dating Masterson in 1996. After the two moved in together, Carnell-Bixler claimed that Masterson would regularly force her to have sex with him and "became violent" if she refused to do so. After she joined the Church of Scientology herself, which she says was done under Masterson's orders, she told the church that he would have sex with her while she was unconscious but was simply told: "you can't be raped by someone you are in a consensual relationship with."