Leah Remini enters in the courtroom during trial session against Danny Masterson. Image source - US weekly
Leah Remini has recently made a statement alleging that she was on the verge of being prevented from occupying a seat inside the courtroom during the rape retrial of Danny Masterson.
Danny Masterson, a 46-year-old actor famously known for his role in That ’70s Show, is currently facing trial for the second time due to allegations of sexual misconduct with former members of the church.
Danny Masterson, an active member of the Scientology community, had initially been accused of sexual assault back in 2017. His first trial commenced in October of last year but eventually ended in a mistrial come November, when the jury was unable to arrive at a unanimous decision.
Danny Masterson was charged in 2020 with the rape of three women, each in their 20s during the early 2000s when the alleged assaults took place. Despite the charges, he entered a plea of not guilty in January of the following year.
The retrial of Danny Masterson began on April 24th but was mired in controversy as Judge Charlaine Olmedo of the Los Angeles Superior Court repeatedly reprimanded the defendant’s lead defense attorney, Phillip Cohen, during the proceedings.
Additionally, the defense team of Danny Masterson requested that Remini be removed from the courtroom. The actress, who had previously been a member of the Church of Scientology, had taken her seat in the front row of the courthouse.
As a long-standing critic of her former religion, Remini took to Twitter to clarify that the defense lawyers had requested her removal from court after serving her a subpoena earlier that morning. This subpoena indicated that she may be called to testify as a witness during the trial.
On Twitter, Remini shared that she had attended the court proceedings to show her support for the women who had accused Danny Masterson of rape.
She further explained that Danny Masterson’s defense team, which she believes is controlled by the Church of Scientology, attempted to have her expelled from the courtroom before the opening arguments. Their argument was based on the false pretense that she would be called as a witness for the prosecution during the trial.
Remini refuted this claim, clarifying that she was not on the witness list for the prosecution. She added that this situation highlighted how threatened the Church of Scientology was by the truth.
In a subsequent tweet, Remini directed her criticism towards the leader of the Church of Scientology, David Miscavige. She expressed her disapproval, stating that the defense team was wasting the court’s time with petty attempts to remove someone who was supporting survivors of sexual violence.
“While David Miscavige might be accustomed to commanding the actions of those within the Church of Scientology, he will never have the authority to dictate my whereabouts or limit my freedom of expression,” Remini asserted.
