..
Star of That '70s Show charged with raping 3 women,
will face retrial in March
Brian Melley, Andrew Dalton ·
The Associated Press ·
Posted: Nov 30, 2022 7:18 PM ET |
A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday at the rape trial of That '70s Show actor Danny Masterson after jurors, who were leaning strongly toward acquitting him, were deadlocked following the month-long trial in which the Church of Scientology played a supporting role.
Masterson, 46, was charged in Los Angeles Superior Court with the rape of three women, including a former girlfriend, in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003. He pleaded not guilty and his lawyer said the acts were all consensual. All three women were members of the church at the time, and Masterson remains one.
"I find the jurors hopelessly deadlocked," Judge Charlaine Olmedo declared after inquiring whether there was anything the court could do to move them closer to reaching a unanimous decision. She set a March date for a retrial.
Olmedo had ordered jurors to take Thanksgiving week off and keep deliberating after they said on Nov. 18 that they could not reach a consensus. The jury began deliberations anew Monday after two alternates replaced jurors who had COVID-19.
Jurors said they had voted seven times Tuesday and Wednesday without being able to reach consensus on any of the three counts.
The jury foreman said only two jurors voted for conviction on the first count, four voted for conviction on the second count and five voted to convict on the third count.
The result was a serious setback for prosecutors, and for the three women who said they were seeking long overdue justice.
Two of the alleged victims in the case issued a statement saying they were disappointed "Masterson has evaded criminal accountability for his deplorable acts. However, we are collectively resolved to continue our fight for justice."
Two of the women and the husband of one are suing Masterson, the Church of Scientology, its leader David Miscavige and others for allegedly stalking, harassing and intimidating them after they sought to expose Masterson.
Masterson left court with his wife, actor and model Bijou Phillips, without speaking to reporters.
The proceedings took place amid a flurry of cases on both coasts with #MeToo connotations, including the Los Angeles trial of Harvey Weinstein just down the hall from Masterson's. In New York, Kevin Spacey won a sexual misconduct conduct lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp in New York, and a jury ordered director and screenwriter Paul Haggis to pay $10 million US in a civil case there.
Search this blog for any of these names for a number of stories about their perversions.
But at the Masterson trial, as at the Haggis trial, the #MeToo implications were largely eclipsed by Scientology, despite the judge's insistence that the church not become a de facto defendant.
Deputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller said the church had tried to silence the women and that was the reason it took two decades for the case to get to trial.
Masterson attorney Philip Cohen said the church was mentioned 700 times during trial and argued that it became an excuse for the prosecution's failure to build a believable case against Masterson, a prominent Scientologist.
Cohen said he would file a motion to dismiss the case, based on the way the jury voted. He said jurors provided additional insights after the mistrial ruling that were helpful but wouldn't discuss what they told him.
Epstein estate to pay $105 million in Virgin Islands sex trafficking case
By Doug Cunningham
U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise N. George announced Thursday that Jeffrey Epstein's estate will pay $105 million to settle a sex trafficking case. Photo courtesy Virgin Islands Attorney General's office.
Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The Jeffrey Epstein estate will pay the U.S. Virgin Islands more than $105 million in cash plus half of the proceeds from the sale of his private island toward the settlement of a sex trafficking and child exploitation case.
U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Denise N. George said in a statement that Epstein controlled a criminal enterprise "through which dozens of young women and children were trafficked, raped, sexually assaulted, and held captive in the Virgin Islands at Epstein's secluded private island, Little St. James."
George announced Thursday that settlement of the 2020 case resolves only the claims against the Esptein estate and the co-defendants named in the government lawsuit.
The Epstein estate will also return more than $80 million in economic development tax benefits that the attorney general said "Epstein and his co-defendants fraudulently obtained to fuel his criminal enterprise."
Unbelievable!
"This settlement restores the faith of the People of the Virgin Islands that its laws will be enforced, without fear or favor, against those who break them. We are sending a clear message that the Virgin Islands will not serve as a haven for human trafficking," said George. "Through this lawsuit and settlement, the Attorney General's Office, acting on behalf of the Government, is using its authority to enforce the laws of the Virgin Islands against criminal enterprises and to protect public safety."
Epstein estate attorney Daniel Weiner said in a statement to NBC News that the settlement "does not include any admission or concession of liability or fault by the estate or any other parties, and the co-executors deny any allegations of wrongdoing on their part."
According to Weiner, 136 of Epstein's victims have been paid more than $121 million and the estate plans to "wind down" its remaining activities in the Virgin Islands.
George said the Epstein estate also agreed to pay $450,000 "to remediate environmental damage around Great St. James, another Epstein-owned island, where the government found that Epstein razed the remains of centuries-old historical structures of enslaved workers to make room for his development."
Epstein, a billionaire financier, died by suicide in federal prison in Manhattan where he was being held on sex trafficking charges.
I think the odds are greatly in favour of 'assisted suicide'. Assistance that Epstein didn't particularly want.
In June Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Epstein's sex trafficking scheme.
Under the Virgin Island settlement terms, the Epstein estate will sell Little St. James and Great St. James islands to "independent third parties" and the proceeds from Little St. James island will go exclusively to a trust to help victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, sexual misconduct and child abuse.
George said during the sex trafficking investigation she met with young women who were trafficked and sexually exploited on Little St, James Island by Jeffrey Epstein.
"I listened to their chilling and horrific experiences at the hands of Epstein and his associates. Our work has been inspired, humbled, and fortified by the strength and courage of all of those who survived Epstein's abuse," George said in a statement. "I am grateful to Epstein's survivors and their attorneys for their cooperation throughout the investigation."
=====================================================================================
Ashanti reveals music producer once demanded shower sex:
‘It was wild’
By Adriana Diaz, NY Post
December 1, 2022 4:07pm Updated
Ashanti appeared on “The Breakfast Club” radio show Thursday morning and revealed that a music producer once held two of her tracks ransom — insisting that she pay $40,000 per song or take a shower with him.
“I’ve been in a crazy situation with one producer,” the 42-year-old said, without naming the person. “I think I might have talked about this once.”
The singer-songwriter explained that she had been working with the anonymous music producer for several weeks after he offered to help produce the songs for free because she was a “homie.”
“We did two records together. He was like ‘OK, I’m not going to charge you. You’re my homie,'” she recalled.
“Then when it came time to put it on the album, he was like, ‘Let’s take a shower together.’ I thought he was joking,” she said. “He was like, ‘Nah, I’m dead serious. Let’s go out, let’s take a shower together and then I’ll give you the records. If not, I need 40 racks per record.'”
The Post has reached out to Ashanti’s reps for comment.
Ashanti appeared on “The Breakfast Club” radio show Thursday morning when she shared the disturbing story. YouTube/The Breakfast Club
The R&B artist said she couldn’t believe what was happening at the time.
“I thought he was joking, because we had been working together for a couple weeks. But it turns out that he was serious. I had to make some phone calls and stuff was handled,” she said.
“It was wild,” Ashanti admitted.
This reminds me of the disturbing story of Aaliyah and R Kelly.
Ashanti appeared on “Red Table Talk” last week and revealed her sister was a victim of domestic abuse.
Facebook/Red Table Talk
The musician was discovered when she was just a teenager and recorded her first songs when she was 20, later released by Murder Inc. She went on to become recognized as the princess of hip-hop soul and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this year.
Her mom, Tina Douglas, has served as her manager for her entire career, and also popped into “The Breakfast Club” to confirm Ashanti’s outrageous story.
Ashanti did not name the alleged predatory producer but hinted at exposing him in the future in her memoir.
Last week, the singer appeared on “Red Table Talk” with her mom and sister Kenashia, who was a victim of domestic abuse, speaking about the “darkest time of their lives.”
“As the older sister who wants to protect my younger sister,” Ashanti said, “no one gets a book on how to handle this.”
=====================================================================================
AG Letitia James’ chief of staff Ibrahim Khan quits
while facing sex harassment complaints
By Rich Calder, Bernadette Hogan, Kevin Sheehan and Bruce Golding
December 2, 2022 5:12pm Updated
NY Post
NY Attorney General Letitia James’ chief of staff has resigned after being slapped with multiple sexual harassment complaints, which were filed before Election Day and kept quiet as James cruised to victory, sources told The Post.
The allegations against Ibrahim Khan, 38, are now being reviewed by an “outside law firm” according to a source briefed on the matter. Sources told The Post the AG’s office hired the firm shortly after the complaints were received.
Two women filed sexual harassment complaints against Khan – and one of those women was told her claims of inappropriate touching and unwanted kissing were substantiated, according to The New York Times.
A source briefed on the matter told The Post the allegations were provided “indirectly” to the AG’s office and “none of the allegations involve current employees.”
The AG’s Office didn’t deny that sexual harassment complaints have been filed against Khan, but declined to answer questions seeking additional information earlier this week.
No comments:
Post a Comment