Danny Masterson’s four rape accusers have sued him, along with the Church of Scientology, over what the women claim was a retaliatory campaign of alleged stalking and harassment. This turn of events arrives nearly two years after Netflix fired Masterson from The Ranch over the sexual assault allegations against him (following the legal cases stalling out in the LA court system). The action taken by the streaming giant may have been due to increased public awareness of the cases (due to the #MeToo movement and Harvey Weinstein fallout), along with ex-Scientologist Leah Remini interviewing Masterson’s accusers on her documentary TV series. Masterson denied the allegations against him and expressed disappointment in Netflix’s decision. Yet Masterson’s accusers further allege that behind the scenes, a war was waged against them.
The accusations made by the women (who allege that they were stalked and harassed because they went to police with their accusations against Masterson) are shocking. However, the lawsuit outlines intimidation tactics that resemble claims made by other opponents of Scientology about the organization’s alleged use of “fair game” retaliation practices against perceived enemies. Variety summarizes the claims from one of the lawsuit’s plaintiffs as follows:
The lawsuit states that the women were all followed, allegedly by agents of the Church of Scientology, in retaliation for going to the police. Chrissie Bixler, one of the plaintiffs, alleges that she was chased in her car in October 2017 by two people who were filming her. Shortly after, her dog died inexplicably. A necropsy revealed that the dog suffered “traumatic injuries to her trachea and esophagus.”
She also says that she has been harassed online, and that Scientology agents encouraged people to post fake Craigslist ads in her name soliciting anal sex. She alleges that she has been stalked, run off the road, and targeted for credit card fraud. She installed a home security system, which she alleges was repeatedly hacked and disabled. Bixler’s husband is also a plaintiff in the suit.
A second plaintiff alleges that her home and an auto used for her business have been vandalized by agents of Scientology, who she also accuses of stalking her and hacking her online accounts. The other alleged victims in this lawsuit have lodged similar accusations while claiming that they’ve been harassed for over two years since they filed police reports against Masterson.
In a statement provided to USA Today, Masterson has declared this lawsuit to be “beyond ridiculous.” He singles out one of the victims, not by name, but to claim that he’ll have the lawsuit thrown out of court and countersue her. “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,” he stated. “I will beat her in court — and look forward to it because the public will finally be able learn the truth.”
