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LOS ANGELES (AP) – An attorney for “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson pleaded not guilty on his behalf on Wednesday to the rapes of three women in the early 2000s.
Defense attorney Tom Mesereau pleaded for Masterson, who was not in court, to three charges of rape by force or fear in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The frequently delayed hearing coincided with President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, which drew far less media attention than Masterson’s initial appearance in June. His indictment has been postponed several times since.
Prosecutors alleged that Masterson, 44, who had been on bail since his arrest on June 17, raped a 23-year-old woman in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April 2003 and a 23-year-old woman. old woman between October and December 2003. All of the alleged rapes occurred at her home in Hollywood Hills.
Masterson could face up to 45 years in prison if found guilty.
Mesereau, whose former clients included Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby, told the court in June that the charges were the result of unfair media hype and political pressure to prosecute his client. The lawyer said his team will prove Masterson is not guilty.
Masterson’s arrest came after a three-year investigation that resulted in the rare pursuit of a famous Hollywood figure in the #MeToo era. Despite dozens of investigations, most have not resulted in any charges due to lack of evidence or the time that has elapsed since the alleged sexual assaults.
The alleged rapes occurred at the height of Masterson’s fame as he played Steven Hyde on the retro Fox TV sitcom “That ’70s Show” from 1998 to 2006 alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace.
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