That ’70s show star Danny Masterson and Church of Scientology sued for ‘covering up’ sexual assault

One of the plaintiffs claims that after reporting an alleged incident to the police she was chased in her car and her dog died in suspicious circumstances

Danny Masterson (Getty)

A group of four women have accused actor Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology of conspiring to cover up allegations of sexual assault, claiming in a lawsuit that they were stalked and intimidated after reporting the alleged incidents.

The women all claim that Masterson raped or sexually assaulted them in the early 2000s, and they reported their allegations to the Los Angeles Police Department in late 2016 and early 2017. A police investigation is ongoing.

That ‘70s Show star Masterson, who was subsequently axed from Netflix’s The Ranch in 2017, has vehemently and repeatedly denied the claims.

“This is beyond ridiculous. I’m not going to fight my ex-girlfriend in the media like she’s been baiting me to do for more than two years,” Masterson said in a statement. “I will beat her in court – and look forward to it because the public will finally be able learn the truth and see how I’ve been railroaded by this woman. And once her lawsuit is thrown out, I intend to sue her and the others who jumped on the bandwagon for the damage they caused me and my family.”

In the lawsuit, the women allege that they were all followed by agents of the Church of Scientology after they went to the police. One of the plaintiffs, Chrissie Bixler, claims she was chased in her car by two people who were filming her. Shortly afterwards, her dog died in suspicious circumstances, with a necropsy revealing that the animal suffered “traumatic injuries to her trachea and esophagus”.

Bixler also alleges that Scientology agents encouraged people to post fake Craigslist ads in her name soliciting anal sex.

Marie Bobette Riales, meanwhile, alleges that her 13-year-old’s bedroom window was smashed in the night and that her food truck was vandalised.

The litigation attorney for the Church of Scientology has released a statement also denying the women’s claims. “From everything we have read in the press, this baseless lawsuit will go nowhere because the claims are ludicrous and a sham,” Bill Forman said. “It’s a dishonest and hallucinatory publicity stunt.”