Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology will come before the court in September 2025 – two full years from now – to face a civil lawsuit filed by three victims who say the organization viciously harassed them for reporting the “That ’70s Show” to authorities and ultimately leaving the church.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Tuesday lifted a stay on the civil case that was in place until the criminal trials played out, and set the September 22, 2025 start date. Masterson was convicted of raping two women and sentenced earlier this month to two successive 15-year sentences.
The Jane Does, all former church members, originally filed their civil complaint in 2019, seeking unspecified damages for what they say was a harrowing and cruel harassment campaign. Each described incidents of stalking, surveillance, vandalism to their cars and property, and even the poisoning of pets.
The Church of Scientology, which failed to convince the Supreme Court to heart its case in 2022, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, but has repeatedly denied any such behavior.
The two-year lead time for a civil trial might seem excessive, but in the post-COVID civil court backlog era, it’s really not: The woman who accused “Crash” director Paul Haggis of rape in New York won her case, but had to wait five years after filing it to get her day in court.
