Why didn't the Statute of Limitations apply to Danny Masterson? Grounds for prison indictment explored

That 70’s Show actor Danny Masterson, who pleaded guilty to two counts of r*pe on July 31, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison on Thursday in a Los Angeles courtroom. He committed the crimes between 2001 and 2003, at the peak of his stardom. The victims are members of the Church of Scientology, the same church Danny attended.

Trigger Warning: The content of this article has mentions of r*pe and s**ual assault, which can be triggering. Readers' discretion is advised.

However, due to the crimes being committed nearly two decades ago, there was a question as to whether or not the Statute of Limitations would apply to his case. The Statute of Limitations refers to a law that limits the maximum amount of time a victim can have to take legal action against their culprit/culprits.

That 70's Show actor has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. (Image via X/@Phil_Lewis_)

However, the length of time varies in accordance with the gravity of the offense as well as the jurisdiction under which it is being disputed. Criminal cases, including severe offenses such as murder, do not typically have a maximum period.

Thus, the accusations against Danny Masterson, albeit brought after more than 10 years, do not validate the Statute of Limitations, given the fact that Danny committed an offense that was severe in nature.

---

What led to the prison sentence of Danny Masterson?

Danny was accused of drugging his victims. (Image via X/@becboynton)

In March 2017, Danny Masterson was publicly accused of the offenses that he committed in 2003, in his Los Angeles residence. He was also accused of forceful captivity, drugging, s*domy, and using firearms on his victims.

Usually, a r*pe indictment is supposed to be made within a 10-year timeframe. But Reinhold Mueller, the Deputy District Attorney involved in Danny Masterson’s, case asserted that because Danny’s r*pe indictment was accompanied by several aggravating factors, it exposed him to a probable life sentence when he was convicted.

Danny was accused of drugging his victims. (Image via X/@darafaye)

As per the One Strike Law of California, if a case involves those aggravating factors, then the Statute of Limitations would not apply. The factors include:

• Kidnapping the victim
• Subject the victim to the consumption of a controlled substance during the assault
• Using a deadly or dangerous firearm or some other weapons in the assault
• Subjecting more than one victim to s**ual assault and being convicted for all of them

Danny’s attorneys tried to argue that three of the aggravating circumstances were not present in the actor’s case. However, prosecutors countered that Danny stood accused of more than two counts of r*pe.

As per the ruling of the California Court of Appeal in another SA case, “People vs. Perez” — the multiple counts of r*pe against Danny Masterson constituted sufficient aggravating factors to call for the One Strike Law.

These two motions were argued on October 19, 2020, before Judge Eleanor J. Hunter, who delivered a concise ruling. She stated that since Danny Masterson had three victims, there was no Statute of Limitation to be applied, and denied the defense motion.