Danny Masterson’s first accused of rape spent a long day at the witness stand Thursday, as Masterson’s defense attorney sought to expose inconsistencies in her account.
The woman, who prefers to be referred to as Jane Doe No. 1, told her story in mostly emotional terms earlier in the week, alleging that Masterson raped her at his home in April 2003. Masterson, former star of “That ’70s Show,” “Three counts of rape Forced could send him to prison for 45 years for life.
On Thursday, defense attorney Philip Cohen asked her about the differences between her initial police statements in 2004 and subsequent interviews after the case was revived in 2016.
Jane Doe No. 1 said she did not remember one of the 2004 interviews, and said that some of the details in the initial police report were inaccurate. At one point, she started crying when recounting a phone conversation with Masterson after the alleged rape.
“He said, ‘We had a good time,'” she said, wiping her nose with a tissue. The prosecutor, Reynolds Muller, asked for a short break, and I left the witness stand.
She also asked Cohen about a $400,000 settlement she had received from Masterson in 2004. Jane Doe No. 1 avoided giving direct answers to many questions about it, but eventually admitted that she had been paid as low as hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Did you go through that money fairly quickly?” Cohen asked.
Judge Charlene Olmedo upheld Mueller’s objection to the question. I also asked Cohen about a harassment and stalking lawsuit she and the two other defendants filed in 2019, asking if she was seeking money in the case as well.
“I didn’t mention a dollar amount,” she said. “I was suing for peace.”
During the intermission, Olmedo criticized Cohen on several questions regarding alcohol consumption, saying that those accused of rape could not be asked about their drinking habits.
“Why in the world would you ask if she pissed in the street?” Olmedo said, referring to a question she did not allow the witness to answer.
Cohen didn’t ask a single question about the Church of Scientology, which dominated most of the first two days of the trial. Nor did he ask why Jane Doe No. 1 delayed going to the police for over a year.
She had already testified that she feared that this would lead to her being declared an “oppressive person” and being expelled from the church.
Her testimony will continue on Friday.
Maani Khachaturian contributed to this report.
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