Danny Masterson, Church of Scientology Sued By Sexual Assault Accusers for Alleged Stalking & Harassment

Danny Masterson
Mike Coppola/Getty Images

The newly filed lawsuit claims that the women who accused the actor of sexual assault were allegedly then targeted by the Church.

Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology, along with church leader David Miscavige, are now facing a lawsuit leveled by the four woman who, in 2017, accused Masterson of sexual assault.

According to court documents obtained by ET on Wednesday, the four women -- identified as Chrissie Carnell Bixler, Marie Bobette Riales, and Jane Doe #1 and #2, as well as Bixler's husband, Cedric Bixler-Zavala -- claim that they were victims of a harassment campaign that began after coming forward with their accusations against the former That '70s Show actor.

"When those women came forward to report Masterson’s crimes, the Defendants conspired to and systematically stalked, harassed, invaded their and their family’s privacy, and intentionally caused them emotional distress to silence and intimidate them," the plaintiffs' attorneys allege in the documents.

Masterson denied all allegations leveled against him in the documents in a statement released to ET through his attorney, Andrew B. Brettler.

"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. 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."

The lawsuit cites Scientology memos and publications that allegedly indicate that the Church of Scientology and church rules "forbid members from contacting police to report a crime committed by any member" and allege that members who report crimes committed by other members have themselves perpetrated a "high crime" in the eyes of the court. The lawsuit sites Church founder L. Ron Hubbard's 1972 book Introduction to Scientology Ethics as the source for the claim.

The documents also detail the alleged relationships the plaintiffs claim to have had with Masterson, and the harassment they allegedly faced after going public with their accusations.

Bixler claims she started a relationship with the actor in 1996 and moved in with him, then later joined the Church of Scientology "per his orders."

She claims Masterson "regularly forced [her] to have sex with him and became violent when [she] refused." She further claims that the Church "required" her to participate in an "ethics program" following one alleged incident of violence. Bixler claims that when she told an employee about Masterson's behavior, she was told that "her job as Masterson's girlfriend was to 'give him sex whenever he wants it' and that if she complied, 'these things wouldn't happen.'"

She claims this cycle of violence continued and escalated, and alleged that Masterson also drugged her, until she broke up with him in 2002, all while allegedly having to attend "ethics programs."

She claims that upon breaking up with Masterson, an official with the Church allegedly coerced her through fear into signing a document agreeing to "never speak publicly about her relationship with Masterson or sue him for any reason."

Bixler claims that, in 2016, she was contacted by another member of the Church who claimed to have witnessed Masterson sexually assaulting another woman, identified in the documents as Plaintiff Jane Doe #1. Bixler claims she suffered a panic attack after learning this information and was hospitalized.

After going to the Los Angeles Police Department with her allegations against Masterson, Bixler claims she was deemed a "suppressive person" by the Church and was subjected to "harassment, surveillance and abuse."

Bixler claims that this included being followed by operatives belonging to the Church, having her home security system hacked -- along with her social media accounts and email -- being chased by strangers in a car attempting to film her, being the victim of targeted identity theft and allegedly being made to feel unsafe in her home on a frequent basis.

Jane Doe #1, who is said to have belonged to the Church since she was a teenager, alleges that Masterson had sex with her while she was intoxicated and unconscious at a party in 2002, and alleges that he later drugged her and raped her at a different gathering the following year. 

Jane Doe #1 claims that, when she gained consciousness with Masterson allegedly raping her, she attempted to fight back. In the documents, she accuses Masterson of holding her at gunpoint and told her to be quiet so that her screams would not alert other people in the house.

The lawsuit alleges that the Church of Scientology worked to silence Jane Doe #1 after she reported the incident to Church officials. She claims she was, at one point in 2004, required to sit in a room alone with Masterson "so that they could 'clear the air.'"

Jane Doe #1 claims that the campaign of stalking and harassment that allegedly was conducted against her included receiving hundreds of phone calls from mysterious numbers, some of which were overtly threatening. She claims the alleged harassment and threats extended to her children, and that operatives working for Scientology made her fear for the safety of her entire family.

In the documents, plaintiff Riales -- who was not at any point a member of Scientology -- claims that she, too, briefly dated Masterson in 2002, and alleges that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Masterson repeatedly over the course of their relationship. She claims the actor "assaulted" her "almost nightly until the end of their relationship" in 2004.

Riales' claims of harassment and stalking mirror her fellow defendants. She alleges that her food truck was vandalized and that her 13-year-old child's window was shattered by a rock in the middle of the night. She claims that she has been stalked and harassed for years after going to the LAPD with her allegations in 2016, and claims that a member of the Church "threatened to commit serious and violent crimes against [her] including murder."

Jane Doe #2 also alleges that Masterson drugged and sexually assaulted her once, at an unspecified date and time. She left the Church in 2004, and claims that she didn't again address the incident until 2012, when she allegedly told Masterson's former personal assistant Brie Shafffer, about her claims. After which, Jane Doe #2 claims "many Scientologists began to disconnect" with her after the revelation.

Jane Doe #2 claims that, after she went to the police with her accusations, she too became the target of severe harassment. She alleges that individuals she believes are related to the Church committed multiple acts of vandalism and targeted her through credit card fraud, among numerous other alleged incidents of harassment. 

The plaintiffs are suing the multiple defendants for stalking, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress. They are seeking unspecified damages including compensatory damages for medical and incidental costs, punitive damages, injunctive relief and attorneys' fees, among other forms of damages and financial relief.

The plaintiffs are also demanding a trial by jury.

Bill Forman, the litigation attorney for the Church of Scientology, released a statement to ET Wednesday night, vehemently denying the claims made in the lawsuit.

"From everything we have read in the press, this baseless lawsuit will go nowhere because the claims are ludicrous and a sham," Forman said in the statement. "It's a dishonest and hallucinatory publicity stunt."

Masterson, who previously denied the allegations against him when they first surfaced, was fired from his Netflix series The Ranch in December 2017. The news came several months after news broke that Masterson was being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department over multiple sexual assault allegations.

RELATED CONTENT: