Church of Scientology Reportedly Tried to Cover up Danny Masterson Rape Allegations

That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson has been accused of rape by a number of different women, but now, he’s not the only one being looked at. On June 17, he was arrested and charged with multiple counts of rape against three women, but The Church of Scientology is also being questioned as there have been accusations claiming the church covered the allegations up. While Masterson is still a member of the church, all three of his accusers were members before leaving.

Not only was a civil suit filed against the actor, but it was also filed against the church for allegedly harassing them after they told authorities about what happened. “It is alleged [in the suit] that our clients reported the sexual assaults to Scientology at the times that they happened,” Stewart Ryan, an attorney for the civil suit said according to The Post (via Page Six). “It is alleged in the suit that Scientology attempted to cover up the sexual assaults.” As a response, the church denied all claims against them.

One victim was identified in the criminal filing, Chrissie Carnell Bixler, who dated him from 1996 to 2001 and claims to have been drugged and raped on several occasions inside his Hollywood Hill’s home. “On more than one occasion Plaintiff Bixler awoke in bed to find Masterson sexually assaulting her. In one specific instance, Masterson drugged … Bixler’s wine at dinner and anally assaulted her. The following morning, Masterson admitted that he had anal sex with her while she was unconscious,” the civil complaint reads.

While the allegations read against him, Masterson has said that he is innocent and his lawyer, Thomas Mesereau described him as “being in complete shock” over “nearly 20-year-old allegations.” However, there is a seemingly good reason it has taken so long according to former Scientologists who feel it would have been hard to get victims to make such claims while still affiliated with the church. Former Scientologist Geoff Levin alleged that in a situation such as this, that church protocol would have been to deal with such accusations in-house and take the women through “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 said. “[And] that is the reason why this is happening to you now. It is brainwashing to the Nth degree.”