LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A 43-year-old former girlfriend of Danny Masterson testified Wednesday that a Church of Scientology official shifted blame to her when she complained that she was the victim of violent sex by the actor.
The witness, identified only as Christina B., was the second of three women scheduled to take the stand against Masterson during a preliminary hearing before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo, who is hearing evidence over whether he should be ordered to stand trial.
Masterson, 45, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he raped the trio at his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. He is best known for appearing on "That '70s Show" and "The Ranch."
Christina B. testified that she reported to a church ethics official that she believed she was the victim of rape during an incident of non- consensual sex with Masterson. The official responded that someone in a relationship cannot be raped by their partner, then told the witness not to use the word "rape" again, according to Christina B.
The church representative also told her to enroll in a church ethics program "because I did something to deserve what he did to me," Christina B. said.
Christina B. said she met Masterson in September 1996 when she was an 18-year-old model. They began a six-year, live-in relationship shortly thereafter, she said.
"I thought he was wonderful, very charming. I loved him and he was great for a while," she said.
But Masterson became "very aggressive sexually" and she often found herself awakening with him having intercourse with her, she said.
The actor never said he was sorry for his behavior, often spat on her and called her "white trash," Christina B. said. She said Masterson was not concerned when she told him she was reporting his alleged violent behavior to the church.
"He said that was fine," she testified.
Christina B. said she usually found herself taking the blame for problems in their relationship.
"I would end up apologizing to him," she said.
Christina B. said when she told him in December 2001 she had awakened with a pain in her buttocks, he laughed and admitted having anal sex with her when she was unconscious. A month earlier, she woke up and found him forcibly having sex with her, then turned to what she knew was a sure solution when he refused to get off her, she said.
"He had this thing about his hair," she said. "I knew if I pulled hard he would get off of me."
Christina B. said she was not a member of the Church of Scientology when she and Masterson met, but she joined during their relationship. She said she later learned that if she violated any church tenet, the hierarchy would "absolutely destroy me."
Masterson showed no emotion as he listed to Christina B.'s testimony.
Masterson was arrested June 17, 2020, by the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery-Homicide Division and released about three hours later on a $3.3 million bond. His lawyer, Tom Mesereau, in cross-examination, has sought to show that any sex between Masterson and the women was consensual.
In December 2017, Netflix announced that Masterson had been fired from the Emmy-winning scripted comedy "The Ranch" amid sexual assault allegations.
The actor said then that he was "very disappointed" and "it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused." He also "denied the outrageous allegations" and said he looked forward to "clearing my name once and for all."
A civil suit was filed in August 2019 against Masterson and the Church of Scientology by four women who allege they were stalked and harassed after filing sexual assault allegations against the actor with Los Angeles police. That case has been sent to arbitration.
Copyright 2021, City News Service, Inc.
