Court today: Masterson victims want to resume lawsuit, Scientology wants it kept on ice
Danny Masterson’s victims are expecting their civil lawsuit against him and against the Church of Scientology to resume today after Masterson’s September 7 sentencing, but Scientology’s attorneys are arguing that the lawsuit be kept in limbo. We’ll have someone there at Los Angeles Superior Court to let us know what happens.
The lawsuit, Bixler v. Scientology, was filed even before Masterson was charged criminally, and it’s a harassment lawsuit that alleges stalking and intimidation, not rape. The plaintiffs (the three Jane Does from the criminal case and one more, and one of their husbands) filed the lawsuit in August 2019 saying that since they had come forward to the LAPD in 2016 they had been subjected to hacking, surveillance, and even the poisoning of their pets.
The lawsuit has been on hold while the criminal case was proceeding, and so we’ve been anticipating that it will get going again once Masterson was finally sentenced. On September 7 he was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison after he was convicted on two counts of forcible rape.
Yesterday, however, when both sides submitted a joint status report to the court, Scientology’s attorneys indicated that they don’t think the lawsuit should proceed at this point. They argue that a stay should continue as long as the LAPD is looking into their claims that detectives in the case had lied in testimony about Scientology harassing the victims.
Yes, you may remember that during the second trial, it was revealed that back in 2021 or 2022, when Masterson was still represented by Tom Mesereau and Sharon Appelbaum, a large portion of the prosecution’s evidence in the case was leaked to the Church of Scientology’s attorney, Vicki Podberesky. Judge Charlaine Olmedo found that Mesereau and Appelbaum had shared that material against court orders and sanctioned them. (They briefly appealed but then dropped those appeals.)
Podberesky in turn used that material to make a case to the LAPD that detectives Esther Reyes and Javier Vargas were testifying in court that the victims were being subjected to Scientology harassment when they knew that this wasn’t the case. Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller indicated in court that the LAPD is actually taking this seriously, and is investigating the detectives.
So while that’s going on, Scientology argues, the civil lawsuit should wait. They also argue that they believe the plaintiffs are preparing an amended complaint and they want to wait to see what it contains. And Danny Masterson’s attorney is also arguing that because the third count in the criminal case, after a hung jury, was not dismissed with prejudice, that he cannot participate in discovery as long as the case might be brought back against him.
So, a lot for the judge to consider as the Masterson victims ask for the lawsuit to get going again so they can begin deposing people and bringing evidence into the courtroom.
We’ll have someone there to let us know how Judge Upinder Kalra reacts.
Chris Shelton is going Straight Up and Vertical
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I pray this Judge has at least half the brains and competence of Judge Olmedo. (did I spell that right?)
Why is the civil case linked to an LAPD investigation? And, at any rate, the criminal organisation known as the “church” of $cientology will continue demands to have only “arbitration “ and never have an actual trial.
Best of luck to the plaintiffs!