LOS ANGELES (AP) – A lawyer for “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson pleaded not guilty on his behalf on Wednesday to the rapes of three women in the early 2000s.
Defense attorney Tom Mesereau pleaded for Masterson, who was not present in court, to three charges of violent or fearful rape in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The oft-delayed hearing coincided with the Washington inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, resulting in far less media coverage than Masterson’s first appearance in court in June. His arraignment has since been postponed several times.
Prosecutors have alleged that Masterson, 44, who has been released since his arrest on June 17, raped a 23-year-old woman sometime in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April 2003 and a 23-year-old woman in April 2003. old woman between October and December 2003. All alleged rapes took place at his home in Hollywood Hills.
Masterson can face up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Mesereau, whose previous clients were Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby, said in court in June that the allegations were the result of unfair hype from the media and political pressure to prosecute his client. The attorney said his team would prove Masterson is not guilty.
Masterson’s arrest came after a three-year investigation that resulted in the rare prosecution of a famous Hollywood figure in the #MeToo era. Despite dozens of investigations, most have led to no charges for lack of evidence or because too much time has passed since the alleged assaults.
The alleged rapes took place at the height of Masterson’s fame when he starred as Steven Hyde on Fox TV’s retro sitcom “That ’70s Show” from 1998 to 2006, along with Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace.