Lucy Nicholson/Pool Photo via AP
- A 2019 lawsuit filed by multiple women, alleged that Masterson repeatedly sexually assaulted three women.
- Danny Masterson will face a trial on three counts of rape after Friday's ruling.
- The lawsuit also claims that Church of Scientology members harassed the accusers.
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A Los Angeles judge ruled on Friday that "That 70's Show" actor Danny Masterson must face trial for charges of three counts of rape.
The ruling follows a 2019 lawsuit filed by actor and former girlfriend Chrissie Carnell Bixler, her husband and Mars Volta lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala, two anonymous accusers, and actor Bobette Riales, accusing Masterson of sexually assaulting three women.
In the complaint, Masterson, who is a member of the Church of Scientology and Religious Technology, is accused of sexually assaulting Bixler multiple times between 1996 and 2002, drugging and raping another woman twice, in 2002 and 2003, and sexually assaulting a woman who was too intoxicated to consent.
The accusers allege Scientology followers stalked and threatened them after they reported Masterson's behavior.
Masterson's attorney Thomas Mesereau, who represented Bill Cosby and Michael Jackson in other sexual assault cases, responded to the charges in 2019, saying, Masterson "is innocent, and we're confident that he will be exonerated when all the evidence finally comes to light and witnesses have the opportunity to testify."
Mesereau also alleged the trial was "politicized," and at a hearing said that Masterson, "is absolutely not guilty and we're going to prove it."
This story is developing. Check back for updates.