Danny Masterson’s legal team faces backlash for jury contact
Lawyers representing Danny Masterson are facing intense criticism following a recent court document that claims they made unsolicited contact with jurors.
The actor known for his role in “That 70s Show” was found guilty in 2023 on two charges of forcible rape, but the jury could not reach a decision on a third charge related to an alleged rape of a long-term girlfriend. Reports now indicate that members of Masterson’s legal team have attempted to reach out to jurors in their homes and workplaces against their wishes.
A filing made on November 13, which was reviewed by YSL News, cited Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller from Los Angeles County stating that the jurors were contacted “neither wanted nor was it made at a reasonable time and place as required.” Mueller requested a hearing to explore the possibility of preventing any “harassing or otherwise inappropriate actions by the defense team.”
This isn’t the first time concerns about Masterson’s appeal team have been raised.
On September 17, the presiding judge during Masterson’s trial, Charlaine Olmedo, sent a letter to both teams of attorneys noting that several jurors had reported “unwanted contact at their homes or workplaces initiated by members of the defense.” According to reports from Rolling Stone and the Los Angeles Times, one juror emailed the judge, expressing confusion over how they were located while they were performing yard work, considering that their names were meant to be kept confidential.
“An examination of the juror complaints submitted to this court suggests that some jurors might have felt pressured by the defense,” Olmedo noted in her correspondence, as reported by Rolling Stone, adding that they were disturbed by being approached at home.
The filing from the DA’s office in Los Angeles mirrored these worries, detailing incidents of unwanted communications at jurors’ homes and workplaces from the defense team, including a direct workplace approach by defense attorney Shawn Holley.
On November 14, Holley, who previously represented Masterson, presented a declaration to the court confirming that she had indeed contacted and met with a jury member in July 2023. Holley, however, insisted that there was no misconduct involved, describing her meeting with the jury foreperson as “friendly, cordial and straightforward,” according to media sources.
She noted that she had also spoken to two additional jurors but emphasized in an email to the Los Angeles Times that she had told all three that “they were not obligated to converse or engage with me.”
Currently, Masterson is serving a sentence of 30 years to life in a California prison and filed an appeal for his case in September 2023.
Actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, who appeared alongside Masterson in “That 70s Show,” faced backlash last year when letters they penned in support of their former co-star were made public. The couple later apologized through a social media video, clarifying that their letters were “not meant to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury’s decision.”
Masterson has one child with Bijou Phillips, who initiated divorce proceedings shortly after his conviction.