Danny Masterson’s conviction is standing. In October 2026, a three-judge California appellate panel rejected his appeal in an 89-page ruling, upholding both his 2023 rape convictions and his 30-years-to-life sentence. Masterson, best known for That’70s Show and The Ranch, was convicted in May 2023 of raping two women in 2003 following a retrial that began that spring, after his first trial ended in a mistrial in fall 2022.
The timeline stretches back to March 2017, when four women first accused him of sexual assault. A fifth came forward that December. Netflix wrote his character off The Ranch later that year, and his then-wife Bijou Phillips filed for divorce in September 2023, the same month he was sentenced. The case also drew attention for its ties to the Church of Scientology, with accusers saying they were discouraged from contacting police. Actress Leah Remini encouraged them to go to law enforcement, and journalist Tony Ortega reported their accounts.
Masterson’s appellate attorney, Cliff Gardner, has said his client is serving a life sentence for crimes he did not commit, and his team plans to take the case to the California Supreme Court. What do you think about how this case has played out over the last nine years? Sound off in the comments.
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Local Lawton
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