Former That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson has been accused by a fifth woman of sexual assault.
Bobette Riales, Masterson’s ex-girlfriend, spoke out Wednesday night about her accusations, saying she’d “stayed quiet long enough.”
Riales alleges that Masterson, a member of Scientology, raped her on multiple occasions in the early 2000s. She isn’t seeking financial compensation for the abuse she says she suffered, but only “justice and to prevent this from ever happening to anyone else.”
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Another Masterson accuser, ex-girlfriend Chrissie Bixler, praised Riales for coming forward.
Riales, Bixler and three other women have accused Masterson, 41, of raping them. He has been under investigation by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for nearly a year. He has never been charged with any crime.
In early December, through his representative, Masterson denied all rape accusations.
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Masterson’s alleged victims say Scientology played a part in protecting him from accusations, while Masterson and his team blame former Scientologist Remini for provoking and egging on the women to report him.
The statement continued, accusing Bixler of continuing to try to reach out to Masterson after their relationship ended. The rep said Bixler even tried to threaten Masterson’s wife.
In the light of the allegations, Netflix wrote out Masterson’s character from his show, The Ranch. Production will resume on the show in 2018 without him.
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“From day one, I have denied the outrageous allegations against me,” he said about the initial accusations. “Law enforcement investigated these claims more than 15 years ago and determined them to be without merit. I have never been charged with a crime, let alone convicted of one. In this country, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. However, in the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.”
Masterson has not yet responded to the latest allegations against him.
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