Church of Scientology is sued by four women for 'attempting to cover up sexual assault allegations' against That 70s Show actor Danny Masterson
- Church of Scientology is being sued for 'attempting to cover up sexual assaults'
- Actor Danny Masterson, 44, charged with counts of rape against three women
- Four women, three who filed sexual charges against Masterson, are suing church
The Church of Scientology is being sued for 'attempting to cover up the alleged sexual assaults of four women by Danny Masterson'.
Actor Danny Masterson, 44, who made a name for himself in That 70s Show, was charged with multiple counts of rape against three women on June 17, reports Page Six.
But it is not just Masterson's morality that has come into question, the Church of Scientology is also being held accountable, with four women, three of whom have filed the sexual charges against the actor, issuing a law suit against Masterson and the church for allegedly taking part in a cover-up.
The church, which Masterson has been a member of since he was fifteen, has denied all claims against it alleged by the civil law suit.
That '70s Show actor Danny Masterson is being sued by four women who claim he raped or sexually assaulted them
All four of the female accusers are former Scientology members who claim in the suit that they were harassed by the church after coming forward with their accusations of sexual assault.
Attorney for the civil suit, Stewart Ryan, told Page Six: 'It is alleged that our clients reported the sexual assaults to Scientology at the times that they happened.
'It is alleged in the suit that Scientology attempted to cover up the sexual assaults.'
Two of the women named in the suit were Masterson's ex-girlfriends - Chrissie Bixler and Bobette Riales - while the other two are listed as Jane Does.
Chrissie Carnell Bixler, who dated Masterson between 1996 and 2001, and left the Church of Scientology in 2016, is the sole victim named in the suit.
Chrissie Bixler dated Masterson for several years and claims he would forcefully have sex with her and became violent when she refused. She says her dog mysteriously died after she reported him (pictured together in 2000)
Bobette Riales and Masterson dated from 2002-2004, in which time Masterson allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her. She claims she was stalked by the church after she came forward with allegation (pictured together in 2003)
She claims to have been drugged and raped on multiple occasions by Masterson at his Hollywood Hills home.
The amended civil complaint reads: 'On more than one occasion Plaintiff Bixler awoke in bed to find Masterson sexually assaulting her. In one specific instance, Masterson drugged . . . Bixler's wine at dinner and anally assaulted her. The following morning, Masterson admitted that he had anal sex with her while she was unconscious.'
She claims that Masterson would regularly force her to have sex with him and says he 'became violent' when she refused, citing one occasion when he dragged her 'naked across their bedroom floor while berating her appearance.
'He then threw her, still naked, into the hall and locked the bedroom door.'
Bixler claims that after the incident she was required to do an 'ethics program', where she told a church employee about Masterson's abusive behavior.
She says the employee told her it was her job as Masterson's girlfriend 'to give him sex whenever he wants it' and that if she complied, 'these things wouldn't happen.'
After coming forward with her allegations, she says her dog mysteriously died.
An autopsy determined the dog 'died of unexplained traumatic injuries to her trachea and esophagus'.
The women say that after the reported the alleged abuse to authorities the Church of Scientology conspired to silence them. File photo of the church's building in LA above
According to court documents, in June 2019 Bixler was run off the road by a car that had been following her.
In the same month, Bixler claims one of Masterson's friends threatened to release nude photos of her taken when she was underage.
Another woman in the suit, Bobette Riales, claims she experienced similar threats, including being followed, watched and having her trash stolen after going to the police with her allegations against Masterson in 2017.
Riales claims Masterson, who she dated for two years from 2002, drugged and sexually assaulted her.
The other two women, who have not been identified, claim they experienced Masterson and his alleged abuse between 1999 and 2002.
Jane Doe 1 claims she may have been drugged by Masterson after he gave her two drinks and ended up alone in his guestroom where she fell asleep. She claims she woke up to Masterson having sex with her and fought him off.
A few years later, Jane Doe 1 said she again felt disoriented after having a drink given to her by Masterson. She claims she passed out and woke up to the actor raping her.
Jane Doe 1 claims she reported the incident to the LAPD on June 6, 2004, but said the Church of Scientology 'mobilized' against her to ensure no charges were filed.
The other woman, Jane Doe 2, claims she also felt disorientated after having a drink given to her by Masterson. Jane Doe 2, who was a member of the church since childhood, claims Masterson sexually assaulted her in the shower and in his bedroom.
Jane Doe 2 said she knew from Scientology that she would 'not be permitted to report the assault to civil authorities outside of Scientology' so she did not disclose the alleged incident to the LAPD until 2017.
Masterson is best known for his role in That '70s Show alongside Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
Since reporting it, Jane Doe 2 claimed her phone and computer were hacked, her car was vandalized and she received harassment on social media.
Masterson has repeatedly denied all the accusations against him since they first came to light in 2017.
His lawyer Thomas Mesereau said Masterson is innocent and was 'in complete shock' at the 'nearly 20-year-old allegations', reports The New York Times.
In a statement the lawyer said: 'The people who know Mr. Masterson know his character and know the allegations to be false.'
MailOnline has contacted the Church of Scientology for comment.
Speaking of the allegations ex-Scientologist Geoff Levin told Page Six that in a situation like this the church would have tried to deal with the sexual assault allegations in-house.
Mr Levin said: 'Maybe you'd be directed into finding that, 10 million years ago, you enslaved a whole city and allowed your soldiers to rape all the women. That is the reason why this is happening to you now. It is brainwashing to the Nth degree.'
Lawyer Mr Ryan said the women had experienced intimidation tactics by the Church who he claims used a 'pressure campaign to force them into silence', reports The New York Post.
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