‘They Can Declare You a Suppressive Person’

Scientology was front and center on Tuesday as the rape trial against “That’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson began with opening statements.

Masterson is a Scientologist and each of his alleged victims was aScientologist at the time of the alleged rapes, which span from 2001 to 2003.

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Reinhold Mueller, the lead prosecutor, made several references in his openingstatement to church terminology and practices in explaining why two of theaccusers delayed reporting to the police.

“They can declare you a suppressive person,” Mueller said. “You areessentially an enemy of the church. Your friends, your parents — if you havechildren who are part of the church — they all have to detach from you.Essentially you lose everything.”

The role of Scientology has been hotly contested in pre-trial proceedings.Philip Cohen, Masterson’s lead defense lawyer, had sought to bar any mentionof the church from the case, saying that it would be prejudicial.

The prosecution sought to introduce an ex-Scientologist, Claire Headley, toexplain church concepts to the jury.

Judge Charlaine Olmedo has tried to strike a balance, denying theprosecution’s request for expert testimony, but allowing the alleged victimsto give their understanding of church doctrines. That has created a dilemmafor the defense, which has argued previously that the church in fact does notforbid its members from going to the police.

Cohen objected when Mueller referenced a Scientology ethics book to supportthe idea that the church discourages members from going to the police. After alengthy sidebar, Mueller was asked to rephrase — at which point he emphasizedthat he was giving the victim’s understanding of church rules.

Mueller also argued that two of the victims were advised by their Scientology“ethics officer” not to refer to the alleged incidents as “rape.” One of themhas said she was told that it was impossible to rape a “2B” — a church termfor a spouse, girlfriend or significant other — and that she must have donesomething to “pull in” the incident.

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“’Pulling in’ means you have done something, either in this life or anotherlife, to cause this to happen to you,” Mueller said.

He said the woman was also advised that she was “out-exchange” with Masterson— meaning that she was in a transactional relationship where he provided hershelter and she provided sex, but that she had failed to live up to her end ofthe bargain .

Cohen began his opening statement shortly before lunch, and is expected tocontinue in the afternoon. He argued that the three victims in the case wereeach advised by LAPD detectives not to talk to each other and not to talk toother witnesses in the case.

“You’re going to hear that after being ordered, instructed, administered byLAPD, these women all speak to each other, and to other witnesses,” Cohensaid.

The defense has previously argued that the women formed a “sisterhood” to takedown Masterson and the church.

Cohen also highlighted discrepancies in one of the women’s accounts betweenher initial statement to the LAPD, statements in a draft civil complaint andher more recent statements. Chief among them, Cohen said, is that the womannow claims that Masterson produced a gun during the alleged rape. That detaildoes not appear in the initial police report or the draft complaint.

Cohen also noted that the woman had ultimately been paid money as part of acivil settlement in 2004. He said that Masterson was making “oodles of money”as a star on “That ’70s Show,” and that she signed a non-disclosure agreementas part of the settlement.

“He’s about to renew a big contract with ‘That ’70s Show,’” Cohen said. “[She]wants the money, and that’s how this NDA comes about.”

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